The Mob Boss
by The Futile Vinny
Summary: AU/ Gilbert is mugged in an alley way only to be rescued by a mysterious man. When Gilbert stupidly accepts the man's help, he is kidnapped and taken prisoner in a Mafia to have his body sold on the black market. What happens when his captor falls in love with the albino but has to keep it a secret from the rest of the organization? Violence/smut/boyxboy/cussing/DL;DR.
1. Chapter 1

**Ok, so this is based off a dream I had forever ago.**

**Throughout the story, there will be gore, violence, smut, Mafias (?), angst, coarse language, probably a lot of spelling/grammar mistakes since it's unbeta'd and whatever else I decide to put in it. **

**Enjoy. :)**

* * *

"Hey, bruder, I'll be back in a little while so don't get your panties in a twist, 'kay?" I shouted from the door as Ludwig gave a disgruntled response from his spot in the kitchen. Taking that as an "okay" I stepped into the crisp night air, shutting the front door behind me.

It was around 11 PM and I had arranged to meet my buddies, Francis and Antonio at a near-by bar for a rowdy guys-night-out. It had been about two weeks since I had last seen the guys. They were always so "busy" that they had no time to spend with the awesome me. "Tch. I personally don't see how they survived with the lack of awesomeness in their lives." I grumbled as I made my way down the street, the lamp posts illuminating my every step.

The walk to the bar was pretty straightforward, with the exception of a turn here and there, and the area was usually heavily populated, especially this early in the night. But tonight was different – there didn't seem to be anybody on the streets. If I wasn't as awesome as I am, I would have started worrying – but worrying is for pussies and women, ___not _for the awesome me.

I was only about two metres from the bar when a rough hand gripped my shoulder, pulling me back into a dark alleyway. As instincts kicked in, my arms began flailing as I thrashed about. When sharp metal came in contact with my neck, my body froze and my breath hitched.

"Move, and I'll slit your throat." a gruff voice spat into my ear, causing me to flinch, the cool blade pressing ever-so-slightly into my skin.

"What do you want..?" I winced as the blade pressed deeper.

"Gimme yer' money." the man said, the hand that was wrapped around my shoulder slowly began downwards, nearing my pants pocket. Struggling, I managed to reach my pocket before he did and pulled out my wallet, my fingers fumbling with the bills as I removed them from the leather. Instantly, the man snatched up the money and pressed the knife further into my throat.

"Hey-!" I hissed, wincing as I felt a small trickle of blood dripped from the incision.

"Quiet!" the man barked, pocketing the bills. In desperate attempts to remove his hand from my throat, I began clawing at the skin, causing the thug to smack me across the face with his free hand.

"You should really let the boy go." a man's voice called from within the shadows. My captor looked about frantically as he tried to drag me farther into the alley. "Are you really running away? That is not fun at all." the voice teased as a large man stepped out into the small cast of moonlight, illuminating his ash-blonde hair.

"S-stay back, or.. I'll kill him-!" The large man stepped closer, the shadow painted across his face made him appear more menacing. In his right hand was what appeared to be a rusted water faucet. The man holding me hostage must have noticed the weapon as well, because he began shaking like mad. I heard him gulp loudly as his hand pressed harder against my throat. I let out a small cry – the knife was almost piercing my wind pipe by this point.

"I'm warning you – stay back!" the man said again, this time his voice was riddled with doubt. I watched as the large man began to roll his head to the side.

"You wanna play it rough, huh?" He asked, propping the pipe on his exposed shoulder, "Fine, I'll play your game, but you're going to have to deal with losing." The man chuckled quietly as he lowered the faucet. My captor removed the blade from my throat, replacing it with his grimy arm and settled with pointing the projectile at the mysterious man in front of us, instead. His breath was shaky as he took small steps backwards, pulling me along with him. The man took a small step forward and within a blink of the eye, he swung his pipe, ultimately knocking the knife out of my captors hand with bone-crunching force. The man let out a loud yelp of pain before releasing his grip on me. Taking his moment of shock to my advantage, I slipped away from the man and began running back towards the street as a pain-filled shriek echoed through the air. Panicking, I ran faster towards the exit, my vision blurring slightly as blood trickled down my neck, soaking the collar of my dark blue shirt. Once I was back on the main road, I halted to a stop and leaned against the brick wall to catch my breath.___"What the fuck just happened?"_ my head screamed as I replayed the recent events in my mind. With a sigh, I slid down the wall until I was sitting on the pavement, my knees tucked into my chest as loud footsteps could be heard exiting the alley to my right. Large boots stopped by my side and I looked up to see amethyst eyes looking down at me. The man knelt down beside me, staring at the gash across my throat before reaching out to grab my chin, only to have me swat his hand away.

"Is that any way to treat the man that saved your life?" the man mused, smirking at me as I glared in his general direction. This time when he grabbed my chin, I didn't react, instead I allowed him to lift my jaw in order to thoroughly inspect my injury. After a few moments, he retracted his hand and stood. "It's not too deep. It should heal within a week or two, but I suggest getting it cleaned to stop from obtaining an infection. That knife of his was not exactly new." the man said, looking me over before extending a hand. "If you'd like, I could help you."

After thinking it over for a moment, I reluctantly took his hand and allowed him to pull me back to my feet. He had just saved my life so what harm could he be? Once I was stable, we began to make our way down the street when we reached a black stretched limo with a chauffeur waiting by the door.

"Is this your car..?" I wheezed, completely awestruck at the beauty of the vehicle in front of me.

"Of course." the man stated simply as he helped me into the back seat. Without even having to indicate to the driver where it was the man wanted to go, he shut the door behind us and made his way to the driver's seat before taking off down the street.

"I'm just curious.." the man looked at me with a undecipherable gleam in his eye, making me shift uncomfortably in my seat. "but uh, what was a rich guy like you doin' roaming around an alley?" I noticed a small smirk play at his lips as he leaned back in his seat, reaching for what appeared to be a cloth.

"Don't worry about it." he stated playfully. Before I knew it, he had the cloth pressed against my mouth as I struggled for freedom. Inhaling deeply, my vision became blurry. The last thing I saw was the man smiling down at me before it all faded to black.

::: O :::

Light flooded into my eyes as I began to regain consciousness, my head throbbing loudly in my ears as I struggled to recall what had happened. The last thing I could remember was meeting a strange man in an alley, only to have him save my life – but that didn't explain where I was.

Slowly, I began to look around the room – the walls as well as the floor were composed of what appeared to be rusted metal caked in a layer of dirt. There was no windows, only a small light bulb hanging above my head. To my right stood a small table with rather sharp looking objects placed on it as well as a wooden chair with wrist and ankle cuffs. Panicking, I tried to stand up only to realize that my hands were chained to the wall I had been leaning against. ___"Scheiße! What the fuck is going on?"_

I was pulled from my frantic thoughts as the thick iron door to my left screeched open, revealing the man from before. He was dressed in a thick, tanned trench coat that reached past his knees, dark green pants, large black army boots as well as a off-white scarf wrapped around his neck. As he moved closer, I pulled against my restrains while glaring holes at the man.

"I see you've finally decided to wake up." The man mused as he smirked at me. "Now you get to experience all the fun~" hidden behind his Russian accent was something pure evil, his voice was laced with malice and amusement in one which made my stomach churn. He bent down in front of me, taking my face in his hands as he made me look him in the eye. He opened his mouth to speak but before he had the chance, I spat square in his face. He narrowed his eyes before letting out a loud growl. After wiping my saliva from his pale skin, he smacked me across the face. The hit was strong enough to have sent me sprawled out on the cold floor if it had not been for the shackles around my wrists.

"So you think you're tough, hm?" He growled, looming over my figure. Before I had time to give my rebuttal, his boot came in contact with my rib cage, causing me to gasp in pain as a fire spread through my chest. I sat gasping for breath as he smiled down at me. "Not so tough now, are you~?" Unable to reply properly, I settled for glaring at the man.

"W-what do you want from me?" I managed, wincing at the pain. The man chuckled as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "What the f-fuck is so funny?" I hissed.

"You're quite the rare specimen, you know? I could get a lot of money for trafficking your body." he smirked as I gulped. ___He wants to sell my body..?_

"So what, you want me to be your stupid little prostitute, or something?"

"No exactly." He mused, rolling his head to the side as he crossed his arms.

"Then what-?" I stopped, suddenly realizing what he actually meant. "You mean you're going to..."

"Sell your various body parts?" He inquired. I nodded slowly, which only made his stupid smirk grow larger. "That is exactly it. Maybe you're not as stupid as you appear to be." Chuckling, he made his way towards the table with torture devices sprawled across the surface, running a hand over the various weapons before picking one up and inspecting it. Once he seemed to have approved of his weapon of choice, he stood in front of me once more.

"So tell me," he began, crouching in front of me. "what is your name~?" he asked as he dragged a sharp blade across my bruised chest causing me to hiss in pain. "That is not the correct answer." he mused, sliding the blade from my collar bone to my left nipple.

"Gi—AH!" I gasped as he prodded the nub with the blade.

"I'm sorry, what was that~?" he chuckled, circling what felt like a knife around the sensitive skin.

"G-Gilbert-!" The Russian leaned in closer, his breath dusting my ear as he whispered huskily,

"Well Gilbert, I'll have fun tearing you limb from limb~"

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******Ienjoytorturingcharacters. /shotshotstabbed**

******Translation -**

******German:**

___**Scheiße - Shit**_


	2. Chapter 2 Part 1

******If you're squeamish, this chapter contains some moderately descriptive flaying.**

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"S-stop-!" I tried to scream, but my voice was too hoarse – it just turned into a small whisper. It seemed like I had been screaming for a millennium, the pain would just not stop flooding my body. I let out a small cry as the blade danced across the skin of my lower abdomen, which was already slick with blood – my blood. This man – no, this demon had carved almost every inch of my body with that cursed knife. Finally, the incisions ceased and the Russian man stood up.

"Well that is no fun. You're still alive." he pouted as he crossed his arms. Through the tears I managed to glare in his direction, panting heavily as I sat on the rusted metal floor, my clothes tattered and bloody, my hands chained above my head to the wall behind me. "I must say, Gilbert, you do look handsome covered in blood." he mused, his pout being replaced with a sick smirk and he put the knife back down onto the table of torture. I growled as he made his way towards the door. "Hopefully we can 'play' again tomorrow, da?" winking, he shut the large iron door behind him, leaving me alone to bleed to death.

Slumping further against the wall, I let out a shaky sigh, wincing as the fire in my chest began to spread. ___Such overwhelming pain.. _my mind whirled. ___What.. what did I do to deserve this..?_

::: O :::

"___Get up."____A voice growled in the distance. I frantically looked around for the source of the noise but to no avail – I was alone in this desolate wasteland, not a soul to share it with._

"___Get up!" it spoke again, this time louder, as if it were right beside me. _Is this limbo..? A place where all the lost souls roam? ___I asked myself. "Get up!" the voice appeared to be fading._

"___Wait!" I called, running in the direction I assumed the voice was coming from. "Wait, please!" I ran faster, reaching my arms out in desperate attempts to grasp whatever it was that I was searching for. "Don't leave me here alone!" I cried, feeling everything begin to fade as my body started to float._

___The scene began to change. I was in a vast emptiness, nothing in sight, only white nothingness. _What is this?___I felt a sharp burning before everything became dulled, slowly fading away as I sank into darkness._

"Get up!" the voice was all but yelling in my ear, jolting me awake with a gasp. ___It was all a dream.. _Blinking, I began to look around – I was in the same musty cell as before, but something was different. I was no longer chained to the wall but instead seated in a wooden chair, my wrists and ankles bound to the piece of furniture by rusty scraps of metal. In front of me stood the table scattered with various weapons and torture devices while that demon man from before was standing by my side, snarling. "Nice to see you decided to wake up." I looked over at the man to see him in a black pin-striped suit, with a deep red tie as well as his stupid scarf. In his black-gloved hand was a leather whip at least four feet in length.

"W-what are you going to do with that..?" I gulped, eyeing the leather closely. He seemed to notice my nervousness and smirked.

"Don't worry about it, shlyukha." he whispered huskily before grasping my chin, forcing me to face him. "It'll be over soon." He removed his hand from my chin and slowly began running it down my neck towards my chest, the leather of his gloves grazing over the numerous cuts that littered the area, hesitating when he reached the blood-soaked bandage wrapped around the slit from the night before caused by the homeless man who had mugged me – the same man who this demon had saved me from. ___How could I have been so stupid as to trust a mysterious man, whether he saved my life or not! Not awesome! _The man began to left his hand drift down further until it was settled on my torso, stroking a long gash across my chest. I looked up at him for any indication of what he was thinking but his eyes looked distant – like his mind was in another place.

I let out a sharp hiss of pain as I looked down to see his finger digging into the wound, tearing the flesh apart as blood spilled across my skin. My vision became blurred as pain engulfed my entire body. This monster was literally ripping the skin off my chest! I could feel his fingers digging in deeper, burying under the skin as I screamed out. My head began to spin as I started losing sight of what was happening. I began to waver in and out of consciousness before I gave up the fight and fell into emptiness.

::: O :::

I woke up in a cold sweat, jolting into a sitting position. I immediately regretted my decision as pure pain seared through my body. As I sat in darkness, I took a deep breath before hesitantly reaching towards my chest to inspect the damage done earlier only to feel cloth. Confused, I looked down to notice myself wearing an over-sized white top – underneath, my entire chest was wrapped in white bandages, as well as all the other severe wounds that covered my skin. To add to my confusion, I wasn't on the hard floor, but instead I was sitting on a worn-down cot – one most commonly found in infirmaries.

Once my eyes adjusted, I realized that I was in just that – an infirmary. Medical supplies littered the surrounding area and sitting in the chair beside my cot was none other than the devil himself. I glared at him, ready to yell when I realized he was asleep. ___He fell asleep waiting for me to wake up?.. No! Don't let yourself get fooled by his facade! He's evil! _My mind screamed as I looked at the man, utterly confused of what to think about the current situation. There was the man that had kidnapped me, abused me, wanted to sell my body – and he fell asleep waiting for me to wake up. I shifted uncomfortably on the thin mattress as I contemplated what to do next when the man began to stir from his slumber. Slowly, his eyes slid open as he readjusted himself in his chair so he was sitting upright. Blinking, he stared at me.

"You're awake.." He whispered. I kept silent, insisting on glaring at the fiend instead. "I usually do not have a problem with torturing people but you – you're different. I couldn't get myself to kill you." he stated flatly, no emotion showing on his face. I sat there, dumbfounded. ___Some psychopath couldn't get himself to kill me? _At my lack of response, the man sighed, rubbing the sleep away from his eye before abruptly standing up and making his way towards the door.

"How.." I whispered hoarsely, "how long was I out..?"

"Three days." he replied before exiting the room, making sure to close the door behind him as he left me alone in the darkness. ___He couldn't kill me.. and he waited by my side for three days to make sure I woke up?_ My heart sank as my mind whirled around in utter confusion making it impossible to comprehend anything. Ignoring the pain, I managed to curl up into a ball and began to softly cry myself to sleep.

::: O :::

It took a week for me to be emitted from the infirmary and for a week, the Russian man visited me, constantly making sure I was okay. Sometimes he would just sit there, monitoring me as I slept, other times he would just drop off an odd-looking doll.

A day before I was let out, I was resting on the cot when the wooden door creaked open.

"Gilbert..?" the man whispered, testing to see if I was asleep or not. I slowly turned to face him causing him to jump slightly. "I just wanted to see if you were asleep. I'll leave you alone, now.." he began to close the door when I called out,

"Wait.." the fact that I had spoken surprised the both of us. The man re-opened the door before entering the room. "I.. have some things I need to ask you." the man raised an eyebrow before crossing his arms.

"Oh? And what would that be?" he mused.

"Why didn't you kill me? You kidnapped me to kill me, did you not?" the man averted his eyes before grumbling slightly.

"That was my original intention."

"Then why didn't you?"

"Because I have other plans." feeling like that was the best I was going to get from the man, I decided to move on.

"..Who are you, exactly?"

"Why should I tell you?" he snapped.

"Well, since it doesn't seem like you're going to let me go any time soon," I took a small breath before continuing, "or at all.. don't you think I should at least know what you are?" leaning against the door, the man seemed to be contemplating whether or not he should share his identity. After a few moments, he gave in with a small growl.

"I am Ivan Braginsky, the leader of the Russian mafia, as well as the lead hitman." he stated coldly, watching my face for any reaction. ___He's a Mob boss?!_ My eyes widened in sudden realization.

"W-what did you want from me..?"

"You're unique. There are a lot of people who would pay big money for a graph of skin from you – or for one of your eyes." He whispered the last part causing me to pale.

"Who the fuck would want my eye?" Ivan let out a small chuckle.

"You'd be surprised, dorogoĭ."

"What does that mean..?" I asked, eyes furrowing in confusion.

"Eh? Nothing that you should be concerned about." he said stiffly, avoiding any eye contact. I watched as he picked up one of those creepy dolls from the vast collection on the counter.

"Hey Ivan?"

"Hm?" he grunted, not even bothering to look away from the painted figure in his hand.

"What's the significance of those things? Surely they mean something if you brought so many." He looked at me and smiled slightly.

"There isn't any significance – I've just always liked them. There's something about them that brings comfort." ___This can't possibly be the same man who tried to skin me a few days ago, right? I mean.. what happened to his sadistic demeanor and the evil glint in his eye? He seems pretty chill.. let alone ..nice? No! What the hell am I thinking? I can't let him or his bi-polarity fool me. This man is a monster – a sick, twisted monster! _"Is something the matter..?" Ivan asked with a raise of his eyebrow. I shook my head slightly before realizing I had zoned out, too fixated on my own thoughts to realize I had torn my pillow open, feathers spilling everywhere. I looked at the mess in my lap before redirecting my attention to the man standing on the opposing side of the room.

"I'm fine!" I lied, forcing a smirk before continuing. "Why do you care?"

"Because it's my money that goes towards buying these pillows." he stated before yanking the mutilated fabric from my hands, searching around the small room for something. After a moment, he pulled out a sewing needle and a small ball of thread before sitting on the chair beside my cot and going to work on the tear. I gave him a sneer before rolling my eyes and scoffing.

"Whatever." leaning back on my elbows, I watched as the Russian carefully mended the two pieces of fabric. ___He seems so gentle! _I furrowed my eyebrows as the needle weaved through the material in one swift movement, gliding effortlessly. He looked up at me with a smirk and I felt myself look away with a soft blush – a totally awesome and masculine blush! You know what? It wasn't even a blush because blushing is for girls and Ludwig.___Ludwig.. _I looked down at my lap, mind wrapping around the idea that Ludwig was probably worried sick, losing sleep from looking for me. ___No! Don'tthinkabouthimdon'tthinkabouthimdon'tthinkabouthim! _As I bit back the tears threatening to spill over my eyes, my shoulders began to shake rapidly. ___This just isn't fair!_ My mind raged as I slowly brought my knees up to my chest and began rocking back and forth.

"Gilbert..?" I heard a worried voice in the distance. ___No one is there. No one will save you._ My mind assured me as I lulled myself into a comatose state, numbing the pulse of pain in my chest. ___. _"Gilbert!" the voice called again, this time there was some sort of urgency hidden in that Russian accent – but the voice soon faded, getting sucked into the darkness. ___So unfair. So unfair. So unfair... _Everything around me was wavering between reality and fiction, consciousness and unconsciousness, light and darkness...

::: O :::

"___Gilbert!" A cheery voice called as a little blonde boy came running from the kitchen towards the albino, his arms stretched out in a welcoming manner._

"___Hey, kiddo!" Gilbert beamed from the front door, crouching down and opening his arms as the little boy reached him, enveloping him into a tight grasp. "How was school?" he asked, ruffling the blonde hair as the boy huffed slightly._

"___It was fun. We got to learn about World War I! It was so fascinating!" the boy chirped as he looked up at his big brother, a twinkle noticeable in his eye. Gilbert gave a hearty laugh before smiling down at Ludwig. His brother was the only person he knew that could consider school to be 'fun'._

"___So you got to learn about Prussia's heroic role, then?" Ludwig looked up at his brother's saddened smile before shaking his head._

"___Oh no.. they didn't mention it once. It was mostly about Germany's role in the whole situation." Gilbert gave a small 'tsk' before standing up and looking down at the small blonde._

"___How's about we go get ourselves some wurst and we can continue our chat?"_

"___Sure!" Ludwig beamed before taking off towards the kitchen in excitement. Gilbert couldn't help but laugh as he followed after the nine-year-old. When he entered the kitchen, sure enough the blonde boy was sitting at the table, his legs swinging off the edge of his chair as he waited in anticipation. As the Prussian began raiding the fridge, he felt a small tremor from the ground as the room started to shake. He stood up straight and looked towards Ludwig who seemed to be worried. "Gilbert..?" he squeaked as the shaking started to increase._

"___Don't worry, buddy. It's just an earthquake." he assured the boy, who only appeared more worried. With a sigh, the albino motioned him with his hands. "C'mere." he said softly as the blonde all but ran towards his, grasping onto him tightly. "We'll be fine, it should stop soon." Gilbert whispered into the blonde hair as he stroked Ludwig's back slowly. When the shaking only continued, the Prussian began to worry._

"___Gilbert, why isn't it stopping..?" Ludwig whined, tightening his grip on the man's shirt._

"___I don't know bud." _I don't know..___After another minute, the shaking grew unbearable. The two toppled to the floor along with the kitchen appliances. Gilbert held the boy closer and he protected his head. As the roof began to crumble, Gilbert ushered the boy to crawl towards the front door. If they stayed where they were, they'd be pancakes within a matter of seconds! The two scrambled desperately towards the door as the walls around them started to collapse. Just as Gilbert managed to escape the death trap, the building fell to the ground, a large puff of dirt and smoke encircling the wreckage. "That was close." the albino sighed as he looked over to his little brother, who was staring towards the sky in awe._

"___Gilbert...?"_

"___Yeah?"_

"___What's that..?"_

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******Translation:**

___**Russian:**_

___**Shlyukha - whore**_

___**Dorogoĭ - darling**_


	3. Chapter 2 part 2

"___Gilbert...?"_

"___Yeah?"_

"___What's that..?" the blonde boy pointed his finger upwards as Gilbert turned around to see a giant crack running from cloud to cloud. It looked as if the world was literally crumbling. The Prussian pulled his little brother into a close hug as he stared at the damage. Never before had he seen something like that before. It didn't even seem possible._

___Another large tremor struck the earth as pieces of the sky began falling in a shower of baby blues and greys. Pulling the boy tighter to his chest, Gilbert braced himself for impact as a large piece of the atmosphere landed a mere two feet away from the brothers. Ludwig let out a loud yelp before he began to cry. Gilbert desperately tried to calm his brother as the broken shrapnel rained from the sky, littering the earth with what appeared to be glass._

"___It's fine-" the albino was cut off as the ground beneath him began to split, causing him and Ludwig to break apart. "Ludwig!" Gilbert called, reaching out his hand as the ground moved farther apart, his brother drifting out of his grasp._

"___Gilbert!" the blonde called out, stretching out his arm as well. They were so close, yet so far. Ludwig let out a loud scream before a large piece of the sky fell on top of him._

"___Ludwig!" Gilbert screeched, tears forming at his eyes as he saw the small, motionless arm stick out from beneath the heap of rubble. "Ludwig..!" he cried, tears running down his cheeks as he was sucked into darkness._

"___Gilbert..." he was floating, drifting along a sea of nothingness as he wallowed in grief._

"___Gilbert..." there was a voice in the distance. No – that was just Gilbert's twisted imagination playing tricks on him. No one was there. There was no one to save him from the emptiness. He would just continue to drift until his body began to decompose and wither away._

"___Gilbert..." the voice was louder – it appeared as if it were coming from all directions. It was almost soothing.. almost. "Gilbert...!" the voice was practically booming in his ears at this point. Suddenly, his body began to violently shake and convulse._

"___No, please stop!"Gilbert cried, wishing to escape from the terror he had just experienced. "Stop!" he cried again before there was a bright light shining in his eyes. _Is this the end?___He wondered as he stretched a shaky hand out. It was so close.. so close._

I jerked awake to see a panicked Ivan leaning over me, his strong hands clamped firmly on my shoulders. I blinked slowly before I looked around. I was in a small hospital-like room. ___That's right.. I had been taken captive by the mafia and am now in the infirmary to have my wounds treated._ I shifted my attention back to the man hovering above me. As I turned my head, I felt as our noses brushed together. ___Gah! He's really close!_ My mind screamed as I studied his face. It seemed so gentle and concerned. Was this really the same man who had taken me hostage in order to sell my limbs for a large profit? No, it couldn't be – just by looking at Ivan I felt safer. Despite the obvious smell of vodka on the man's breath burning my nostrils, I didn't really mind the close proximity. ___Being this close to him.. he's actually quite good looking._ I felt my face start to heat up as I realized what I had just been thinking. I actually allowed myself to think that this monster was the least bit attractive! I must have been on some sort of drugs or something because the awesome me would never be attracted to someone such as Ivan. Either that, or I was starting to lose it.

The Russian eyed me carefully before whispering, "Are you alright?" He paused for a moment before letting go of my shoulders and leaning back, coughing into his fist, his eyebrows furrowing in what I assumed to be embarrassment. I shook my head slightly as I slumped farther into the cot. My mind was so disoriented at the moment – nothing made any sense! What I thought to be a happy memory turned into a terrible nightmare and then I wake up to a psychopath wondering if I was alright. ___Could things get any more confusing? _I gave a small sigh before replying.

"I'm fine – although it's not like you actually care or anything."

"That's not true!" Ivan snapped before a look of surprise washed over him. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Oh really, because I'm pretty sure if you cared, you wouldn't have kidnapped me." I shot back at him, crossing my arms over my chest.

"If I didn't care then-" he cut himself off before looking towards the door. "You know what?" He asked before standing up. "You're correct. I do not care." the coldness in his voice sent a shiver down my spine as I heard the door slam shut. I blinked for a moment as I tried to process what had just happened. I looked towards the door before I saw a camera hanging from the corner of the roof, the lens spiralling as it zoomed in closer. ___Did he react like that because we're being watched..?_ I enquired before letting out a frustrated grunt.

"Why doesn't any of this make sense?" I yelled before curling up into a ball and drifting into a dreamless somber.

:::O:::

"Yes, he's free to leave. His wounds are healing quite nicely and he should have regained some energy throughout the past week."

"Great, spasibo."

"But erm.. sir?"

"Da?"

"If your original plan for him was to traffic his body.. why did you send him to the infirmary?" there was a loud slam against the door as a low growl made its way from Ivan's throat.

"What are you trying to imply, Toris?"

"N-nothing, sir! I was simply curious! I apologize for being so rash with my words!" the man squeaked, the shadow painted on the door shades was shaking at a rapid speed. I watched as Ivan's figure moved away from the doctor before he barged through the door, staring at me as he entered.

"Get up." he ordered. ___What happened to the gentle Ivan from yesterday?_ I wondered as I stared at the man. "I said get up!" he let out a loud snarl before crossing his arms. Carefully, I did as I was told and slipped off of the cot, stumbling slightly as I tried to get used to standing. Once I was stable, the Russian moved towards me and pinned my arms behind my back, the force behind his grip caused me to hiss in pain. "Walk." he demanded, pushing on my back as I began to make my way towards the door.

Once we made it back to the cell in the basement, Ivan used one of his hands to cast open the iron door before roughly shoving me in. Turning around, I glared at him. ___He had been so kind before.. What the Hell happened?_

"The Hell is wrong with you?" I sneered, crossing my arms over-top of my chest. He walked closer to me before there was a sharp stinging in my left cheek. I looked over to see Ivan's hand raised in the air.

"Watch how you speak you me. I might have shown you mercy before but by no means does that mean you are home-free. You're still a prisoner here and I expect you to treat me with respect. Unless of course you are___looking_ for a beating." He snapped back, looking around the room before relaxing slightly. ___Is this about the cameras again?_ I wondered as I continued to glare. ___Does this mean he's putting on an act when he knows others are watching? _I let out a quite scoff before turning away from him. In an instant, I felt his hand on my shoulder as he turned me back around.

"What?" I searched his face for any form of malice, instead I noticed his eyebrow twitch in irritation.

"Don't use that tone with me!"

"I'll use whatever tone I want to use with you! What happened to that gentle, doll-loving Ivan from yesterday?" I shrugged my shoulder and watched as his hand fell back to his side. He looked at me with sad eyes before whispering.

"You wouldn't understand."

"Oh, I wouldn't?" I raised an eyebrow in surprise. "How stupid do you think I am? You're treating me like shit when you know others are watching! What is there to not understand?" I growled at him.

"Do you know how hard it is?" He snapped, causing me to be taken aback by his sudden out-burst. "I don't want to be this way! I really don't! My father ran this company and once he died it was passed onto me! I wanted to back out but if I did, I would have been killed for 'knowing too much'! If they catch me getting cozy with a prisoner they will skin me alive and frame my pelt to forever remind the members of this organization what happens to traitors!" he was all but yelling at this point, frustration filling him to the brim. His body was shaking as his hands balled into fists. He looked around for something to take his anger out on before settling on punching the door, causing the metal to dent. I winced as I looked at the damage inflicted onto the door before giving Ivan a sympathetic look.

"I didn't know.."

"Of course you didn't! Before you go around acting like you know everything, at least try to understand what the other person is facing." he snarled.

"Well I'm sorry I didn't realize that the man who had tortured me, and tried to skin me alive was a big ol' softy who was just facing some troubles!" Ivan glared at me for a moment before storming over to where I was standing. I flinched slightly as I anticipated the attack but nothing came. Instead Ivan settled on standing in front of me, seething in anger. After a few moments, he seemed to have calmed down and pulled me into a tight hug. I stiffened as I felt myself being encased in a vice-like grip and was pushed against a very broad chest. ___If he really hugging me?_ My mind swam in a lake of confusion as I stood in Ivan's tight embrace.

"I'm sorry.." he whispered into my ear. "I'm sorry.." Had he really just apologized or was it my imagination? Surely I was mistaken, for a monster like him would never apologize, right? Right. But.. he did. He just did – twice!

He released me from his grip before turning away and leaving without another word.

:::O:::

"Meal time." a gruff man stated before pushing a plate of slop in my direction. I stared at the 'food' before pushing it away with my finger. Just looking at it made me feel queasy, surely it couldn't be edible. Even if it was, I wouldn't put something like that in my awesome stomach.

Not long after my food was delivered did Ivan arrive. He moved towards my hunched-over figure before crouching down in front of me.

"I brought you some food.." he whispered, smiling slightly.

"Unless it's actually ___edible_, I'm not interested." I scowled, lifting my head to look at the man. He dug his hand into his large, tan trench coat before pulling out a small bag of bread. I eyed him carefully before snatching the bag from his hand and smelling the contents. ___Seems fresh._ I decided it was safe and began eating. Ivan chuckled softly before standing up.

"Is this all you came for?" I enquired, mouth full of half-chewed bread. He looked down at me before nodding. He seemed unsure of his answer and sat down beside me.

"Actually, there was something else.." He said quietly, fidgeting with the sleeve of his coat as he looked around the room.

"And what's that?" I asked before swallowing. When he didn't answer I rolled my eyes, placing the bag on the ground and giving him a small shove with my elbow. He looked over at me before leaning in. I felt my face begin to heat up as he moved closer, his breath tickling my nose. He looked down at my lips as he licked his own. Within an instant, I felt the soft skin press against my own in a very gentle kiss. My eyes widened as I understood his true intentions. ___He came here to kiss me? He.. came here to kiss me?!_ I began freaking out as the Russian moved his hand to gently cup my cheek. ___Whatthehellwhatthehellwhatth ehell! _I pushed on his chest in an attempt to get him off but it seemed futile. After a few moments, he finally pulled away and looked deep into my eyes. There was something stirring inside of me – something I couldn't quite understand. Without a second thought, the sound of skin on skin filled the air as I lowered my hand back to my side. Ivan looked at me in disbelief before raising his own hand to touch his now-red cheek.

"What the honest fuck, man?" I yelled, boring holes into his face. "You don't just go around kissing dudes! Especially ones that aren't gay!" Without another word, Ivan stood up and started walking towards the door. Out of anger, I followed him, grabbing his shoulder and turning him around to face me. "Don't walk away from me when I'm talking to you!" He shrugged off my hand before turning back towards the door.

"Really Gilbert.. stop being such a nuisance." He stated quietly before exiting the room.

* * *

******Translations-**

___**Russian:**_

___**Spasibo - Thanks**_


	4. Chapter 3

I touched my fingers to my bottom lip as I watched him leave, something pounding painfully against my rib cage. ___What the hell...?_ I blinked in disbelief before dropping my hand back to my side and looking back to the brown sac Ivan had handed me earlier.

"Why'd he give me this?" I wondered to myself as I picked up the bag and looked back towards the door. With a sigh, I removed the bread and placed it in my mouth, viciously ripping off a piece before chewing it. ___This pounding in my chest.. It has to be from anger – that is the only logical explanation! _I convinced myself. ___Still, something doesn't seem right.. Whatever, it's anger. That's all there is to it. It's best for me not to over-think things. _I gave a curt nod to no one in particular before crumpling up the bag and tossing it into a corner. "Stupid asshole."

:::O:::

"Gilbert?"

"Oh, so you actually decided to show your face in my awesome presence, huh?" I retorted without turning around to face the Russian man peaking in from behind the iron door.

"I've been busy with work."

"Yeah, likely story." With a sigh, Ivan stepped into the musty room, closing the door behind him.

"It is a likely story. In case you didn't remember, I am the boss, therefore I am a busy man." He reasoned.

"Busy doing what: kidnapping more people? Ripping them limb from limb and selling them on eBay? Or what, have you been molesting little children, 'cause that wouldn't surprise me." I spat.

"Is that what I am in your eyes? Some fucked up monster?" I looked over my shoulder to see him glaring at my back, his fists clenched by his side. It was obvious he was trying to hold back his anger. I stood up and faced him, glaring right back.

"Is that a surprise to you? You kidnapped me with the intention to sell my body parts and then you suddenly kiss me and don't show your face for a week! What the fuck am I supposed to think? I'm not some toy that you can throw away when you're tired of it! I'm a goddamn human being!"

"You're acting as if I used you for my own pleasure and then just threw you to the curb!"

"You did!"

"I did not!"

"Yes, you did! You tortured me and came onto me only to not bother to show up for a week! How am I supposed to take that? It feels like you only visit me when you need to use me for your own benefits!" By this point, Ivan and I were both shaking with pent-up anger, our expressions deadly.

"Is that what you really think?" His voice was dangerously low as he stared at the ground in front of me, his knuckles turning white as he clenched his fists tighter.

"Yes! Yes, that is really what I think – no, not think. It's what I know! You're just a disgusting little fu–"

"Gilbert, don't." He whispered harshly, eyes narrowing further as he took deep breaths.

"Don't what? Don't tell you the truth? Why don't you fucking be a man and fight me rather than pussy away?" I opened my arms in an inviting manner, offering him a chance to hit me. He took three swift steps before he was standing right in front of me, his huffs of breath hitting my face. He furrowed his eyebrows as he grabbed me by the back of the head, pulling hard on my hair. I let out a sharp of pain as my head was tugged back.

"You want me to hurt you?" He snarled. When I didn't answer, he threw me against the wall, roughly pinning my body to the concrete with his own large one. My glare intensified as he wrapped a strong hand around my throat, squeezing lightly.

"You're already a monster in my eyes." I breathed as his grip tightened.

"Maybe you shouldn't tempt me." He whispered gruffly into my ear before licking the shell. I let out a small gasp as I felt the slick appendage trace the outside of my ear, his hand not faltering in the slightest. He trailed faint kisses down my jaw towards my lips, swiftly moving down to my collar where he licked the skin before biting it roughly. My breath hitched as his tongue lapped the fresh wound, soon replaced by a light sucking.

"Ivan!" I hissed, arching my back against his chest as his other hand began to wander up my side, pausing to pinch the sensitive skin. I struggled in his grip as the hand around my throat squeezed tighter, cutting off the air flow. I let out a small strangled-noise as he ran his hand up my shirt, rubbing my left nipple. "S-stop!" I managed, hissing through my teeth. I gripped his shoulders, pushing roughly, but his actions only intensified. I gave him another shove before he looked up at me with a deadly glare. He removed his hand from beneath my shirt only to replace it in my hair, gripping the locks tightly and yanking my head back.

"Zatknisʹ shlyukha." he growled. I let out a sharp cry of pain as the hand wrapped around my throat moved down to punch me in the chest, right on top of the mutilated area where he had torn the skin.

"Please stop!" I begged, only to receive another punch. I couldn't hold myself any longer – my head was spinning, my whole body ached. I slumped forward only to be dropped onto the cool pavement.

"Vy mne otvratitelʹny." Ivan grunted before his large boot came in contact with my rib cage in one swift movement. I let out a loud cry, curling into a small ball before the blood and bile pushed itself up my throat and onto the floor. The Russian let out a loud scoff before turning towards the door. Without even bothering to look back he exited the room, leaving me to convulse from sheer agony.

:::O:::

___I have to escape, I have to escape, I have to escape..._

"Gilbert, we need to talk."

___Get away from me! Get away!_

"I don't want to talk to you."

___Diediediediediediedie..._

"Gilbert.."

___Leave me alone..._

"No."

___You're a monster. A monster. A monster..._

"Gilbert, please.."

___So deceiving._

"Fuck off!"

___Just disappear!_

"I'm sorry, Gilbert."

___Don't lie to me! Don't blatantly lie to me!_

"Shut up!"

___Haven't you done enough?_

"Please, just listen!"

___Don't use that tone of voice with me..!_

"Why should I?"

___You're just going to spew more lies._

"Because I truly am sorry! Maybe if you actually listened, you'd believe me."

___Don't fall for it, don't fall for it!_

"Fine, I'm listening."

___Idiot!_

He hesitated for a moment, picking his words carefully as he looked around the room nervously. With a small sigh, Ivan began. "It's hard.. to control myself." he breathed, waiting for my reaction. I gave a loud snort before shifting in the corner, burying my face deeper into my knees. "Sometimes I don't feel like myself. I feel like I'm being.. controlled. Like someone is manipulating me, making me hurt others. I don't want to do it, I just can't stop. It feels like my whole body is being swallowed by darkness and I lose control. It's almost like another side of me is forcing its way to the surface." he let out a shaky breath before taking a small step towards my huddled figure. "The real me.. the real me is a childish man who hates the cold, hates evil and hates violence. A man who dreams about going to a warm place filled with sunflowers and those whom I care about. You have to understand.." he whispered the last sentence, his voice dripping with sadness. "I'm not evil..."

I was absolutely speechless. I stared at Ivan, mouth agape and eyes widened. ___This isn't possible._ I shook my head slowly before giving him a hard stare.

"You're lying." I whispered.

"What?" He seemed surprised.

"You're lying!" I repeated, my voice more ferocious. "You're lying!"

"Gilbert, please..!" he begged.

"No! You're trying to deceive me – that's something a sick little fuck like you would do!"

"Gilbert, I'm not lying!"

"Then prove it! I can't, nor will I ever believe you unless you prove to me that you're really 'possessed'!"

"But.." he began, his voice low. " I don't know how.."

"Then I guess it's not true." I countered with a sneer. Finally, Ivan sighed before turning to leave.

"Fine.. I guess there is no way for me to convince you. But.." he trailed off.

"But what?" He looked over at me with sad eyes before giving me a small smile. My heart began to beat a little faster as I stared at the man.

"Promise me you won't mistreat anyone here because of what I've done." With that, he left the room. I sat in confusion as I ran over what he said in my head. ___So.. he claims to have another side – a sweet side that is usually repressed and he doesn't want me to be an ass to any of the people who work here?_

"This doesn't make any sense!" I groaned to myself as I smacked my head against the cement wall. I didn't know what to believe. He was some fucked up freak who seemingly cared for his co-workers.. the same co-workers who are ___supposedly_ going to kill him if he leaves this stupid place. ___If he cares so much about them, then that would mean that they're friends or family, right? Then.. why would they kill him if he left? Wouldn't they care for his well-being like he does theirs?Unless.. they don't like him? But that wouldn't make any sense.. If they didn't like him, they'd kill him, so maybe they're scared of him?_

I was snapped out of my thoughts when the loud screeching of scraping metal filled the room. I turned towards the iron door half-expecting Ivan when I noticed a trembling little boy – no older than 15 – standing outside of the door, staring at me with oceanic blue eyes.

"Y-you are to c-come with me." He ordered, trying to sound fierce but it was obvious he was nervous. Giving him a sympathetic look, I stood up from the counter and walked over towards the boy, allowing myself to be handcuffed as he began to lead me away. ___Poor boy.. he's probably forced to be here. Maybe his family is being held hostage. Wait – is this why Ivan wanted me to be nice to his co-workers? Because little boys are being forced to work here? No, that wouldn't make sense. Ivan's the boss, therefore he picks who works here and who doesn't. _I felt my eyes narrow as I was led to what appeared to be an indoor garden. There were rows of various different flowers – from sunflowers to lilies to types I had never even seen before! I turned around to face the boy in confusion as he released his grip on me and stood his guard at the entrance. "Y-you are allowed to wander freely, b-but if you try to e-escape, you will be k-killed." He gave a small smile as if to dismiss me. Blinking, I slowly began to make my way down one of the rows of plants before I came upon a hand-crafted, wooden bench – which just so happened to be out of the boy's line of vision. I let out a quiet sigh before sitting down. It seemed so peaceful in here, it was so.. deceiving.

___Just like him..._

:::O:::

"What do you think of Ivan?" I enquired as the boy, Raivis, led me back to my cell. He let out a loud squeak before I felt the hand on my back begin to shake.

"I-I am not s-supposed to talk to a c-captive about Mr. B-Braginsky." He stuttered. I furrowed my eyebrows as we continued along the desolate hallway.

"Well, can you tell me why you're here? You're what – 14 or 15?"

"I-I'm sorry, but I can't a-answer your questions." He mumbled sadly as he opened the iron door to my room and removed the handcuffs from around my wrists. I rubbed the raw skin as I looked down at the boy. He reminded me so much of my brother when he was little, it was heart-wrenching. I would definitely need to have a talk with Ivan next time that asswipe shows his face around here. To think he would even involve a child in such a terrible profession! How unawesome of him.

:::O:::

"Mr. Braginsky would like you to join him for dinner."

"What?" I said, completely dumbfounded.

"Do not make me repeat myself." He stated as he fixed his silver-rimmed glasses. "You are to get ready and join him at 8 P.M, sharp. I will have someone escort you." I watched as the man left as quickly as he came. ___Why the hell would he want me – a prisoner – to join him – a Mob boss – for dinner? Isn't that... uncanny or something?_

Only a few moments after the first guy left, a chick – a hot chick, might I add – with wavy, medium brown hair stood in the doorway. She was dressed in a black, pin-striped suit with black stilettos. She flashed me a smile before calling me forward with a wave of a hand. Once I reached her, she hooked the cuffs around my wrists and led me down the hallway.

"If you're gonna' have dinner with boss, then you're going to have to fit the part." She winked before this she continued with a small squeal. "Aw, this is so cute!"

"What's cute?"

"The fact that Mr. Braginsky likes a captive. He doesn't let just anyone eat dinner with him, y'know." I felt my face flush red as she started to gush. "I have to make you look amazing if you wanna get laid tonight! Of course, it'd have to be in secret. If anyone found out about Mr. B's love affair, they'd have his head on a stick. Oh, but don't worry, I won't tell anyone about this."

"What?!" I gaped. "There is nothing going on with me and that freak! He probably wants to eat me or something." the girl gave me a wicked grin.

"Ohho, he wants to eat you alright, but not in the way you're thinking~" she sang. My face burned a bright crimson colour as I stared at her in disgust. ___This chick is officially insane. _Before I could retort, she shoved me into a bathroom and ordered me to wash up.

As I walked towards the mirror, my expression was emotionless. My pale face looked tired and hollow, my once unscathed skin now covered in bruises and scars. I pulled down on the bottom eyelid of my right eye – completely bloodshot. I gave a loud snort before leaning away from the mirror, quickly noticing the dark purple bruise encircling my neck. I turned away from my reflection and began removing my shirt. Once I was left in only my boxers, I moved towards the shower and turned it on. I removed the final piece of clothing before stepping into the hot water, my wounds stinging from the pressure. I let out a content sigh as my body was filled with warmth before I began to wash up.

Once I had finished, I turned off the water, and stepped out into the humid air of the bathroom, wrapping a soft towel round my waist. I looked around for my clothing only to notice they had been replaced with clean, much nicer ones. I ran my fingers over the smooth fabric before I carefully began to put them on. I had been given an awesome Prussian blue suit with a black dress shirt. I slipped on the black leather dress shoes before straightening out the suit jacket. With my fingers, I brushed my platinum hair back, just like Ludwig – although I could never get it as neat as him. I gave myself a once over in the mirror before opening the door.

"Wow, you clean up pretty nicely." the woman stated as she looked me over, a sly smirk on her face. "If you weren't with the boss, I'd definitely have my way with you~" she chortled.

"I'm not fuckin' ___dating_ him!" I spat before glaring at her.

"C'mon, if you want to make it to your dinner on time, we should get going." She said casually, leading me back down the hallway.

"Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, sure. What's on your mind?"

"A few things, actually - but there is one thing that bothers me the most. Ivan claims that he's forced into this profession. He says he doesn't want to be here, but if he were to leave, he'd be killed. If he doesn't want to be the boss, then why is he?"

"Ah, y'know... I can't really tell you 'cause of liability issues, but I'll let you in on a little secret." her voice dropped low before she continued. "He was born into it. It's like a hereditary role. Before his father died, Braginsky Sr. was our boss. He had left the job in Ivan's hands. He grew up here, it was almost like a rite of passage, taking on the responsibility.."

"Even so, isn't he just asking to be killed by getting himself involved with a hostage? He treats me like shit when there are cameras, but he tries to be nice and kiss my ass when the cameras are gone. Aren't you guys getting suspicious or whatever because I'm supposed to be dead or something unawesome like that?"

"You could say that. But for the most part, we like Mr. B. Despite the fact that he's supposed to be a vicious Mob leader, he's kinda like a fatherly figure with a terrible drinking problem. Sure, he can become abusive, especially when drunk, but that's not really a big deal. That's his job, after all. Because of that, we're kind of ignoring his little affair with you. I mean, the man deserves some happiness in his life. I just kinda feel bad for him. It's not like he wants any of this..."

:::O:::

After a fair bit of walking, we found ourselves in front of two large oak doors. "Well, here we are." she grinned at me. "Remember, don't say or do anything stupid and nothing bad will happen to you."

"Thanks for the advice?" I replied wryly, narrowing my eyes at nothing in particular. As the doors open, I took a few cautious steps inside. ___This is it. Tonight I'm dancing with the devil._

* * *

******Translations:**

___**Russian -**_

___**Zatknisʹ shlyukha - Shut up whore**_

___**Vy mne otvratitelʹny - You disgust me**_

******Again, I use Google Translate. Please, if you speak German or Russian, feel free to correct ********me.**


	5. Chapter 4

"Ah, you are right on time. I see that Elizabeta helped you get ready." Ivan noted as he watched me enter the dining hall. He was sitting alone at the end of a large mahogany table that could probably seat thirty people. "Come, come, have a seat." he motioned me forwards and I hesitantly obliged, sitting myself down opposite of him. Even with the distance between us, I could still hear him chuckle to himself. "You know, Gilbert, you clean up quite nicely. I almost began to forget what you looked like without the blood."

"Shut up!" I snapped, narrowing my eyes in his direction.

"And why should I shut up? I was just stating the truth." he mused, taking a sip of what appeared to be water with a satisfied smirk.

"Because it's your fault!" I retorted, pursing my lips in annoyance. He set down his glass with a small giggle before resting his elbows on the table, and placing his chin on top of his folded hands.

"Gilbert, it's not nice to blame people for something they are not guilty of."

"But you are guilty!" I all but yelled. He raised an eyebrow at me before sighing.

"Tsk tsk, Gilbert. You are my guest yet you are treating me with such disrespect. Were you raised by wolves?" he chided with a small shake of his head. "You should really know better."

"Oh, and you're one to talk?" I snorted, crossing my arms while slumping back in my seat.

"You see, I am just doing my job, you're being rude. I did not have to invite you to dinner, you know."

"Then why did you?" I enquired with a huff.

"Well, I thought it would make you happy to be let out of your room and eat a regular meal. But since you don't appear to appreciate my offer, I might as well send you back there." he pouted slightly. He couldn't have been serious, could he? He wasn't doing this out of generosity or kindness, I knew that much. He must have had some sort of interior motive.

"Go ahead, I don't care." I lied.

"Still so stubborn, are we? If you continue acting this way, I might as well, but for now I wish to talk with you." he sighed, straightening himself as a small woma – Holy tits, Batman! Those knockers of hers must have at least been an E cup! Just as my mouth started to salivate, my attention quickly snapped back to Ivan. The woman had placed a plate in front of him and he smiled in return.

"Thank you." He said simply before she gave me a plate containing a medium rare stake with a side of potatoes and left the room. I blinked at Ivan in shock.

"Damn dude, she's –"

"My sister." he interrupted, giving me a stern look. "So choose you next words carefully." I gaped at him. ___Sister? That fine piece of ass is his sister?_ ___No way, no fucking way!_

"That's your.. ___sister?_" I snorted. "Nope, can't believe it. No way can someone like her be related to someone like you."

"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?" He enquired with a raise of his eyebrow.

"I'll put it in a way you can understand... She's ___hot_ and you're ___not_." I spoke slowly, watching his face contort into annoyance. He let out a long sigh before rubbing his temples.

"Gilbert, I did not invite you to dinner so that you could make googly-eyes at my sister."

"Hey!" I retorted while in the midst of eating a piece of stake. "I was ___not_ making 'googly-eyes' at her. I was just.. taking in her body." I cackled. Noticing the heavy death stare and the quiet chanting of what sounded like 'kill', I coughed into my fist. "- beauty. I meant beauty."

"Yes, of course you did." He said dryly with a roll of his eyes.

"So uh, what ___did_ you want to talk to me about, anyways?"

"I figure it's not of an importance anymore."

"You mentioned it and now you have to tell me." I stated, shoving some now-mashed potatoes in my mouth.

"I don't have to tell you anything." I scoffed.

"Now who's being the ass?" With another long sigh, Ivan straightened himself and cleared his throat.

"I wanted to apologize.. for my behaviour towards you. I shouldn't have kissed you and disappeared, but I am a busy man. I would also like to mention that I am really trying to control myself around you... I don't want to hurt you." Was that.. a small hint of guilt in his voice? No, I must have imagined it.

"That it?"

"Yes, I suppose so. Were you expecting more?"

"Well kinda. You could have told me without this dinner. "

"Do you not appreciate this dinner?"

"What I'd appreciate is to be sent home!" I spat, narrowing my eyes at the Russian sitting across from me.

"But this is your home now." he stated simply as he picked at his potatoes. I couldn't help but sputter in disbelief.

"You mean you're just going to keep me here?" I growled when he nodded. "Why? You're not even using me for what you originally wanted and now you're not even going to let me leave?"

"Why would you want to leave..? Do you have someone waiting for you?" ___I can't tell him about Ludwig.. What if he tries to abduct him, too? I can't have that happen to my little brother._

"No, I just don't want to stay in this ___hell hole_ with ___you_!" ___Good, that seems convincing._ He stared at me for a moment before chuckling to himself.

"Oh, you are so silly, Gilbert." he mused as he stood up from his chair. Not letting my eyes off of him, I watched as he moved towards me with painfully slow steps. He stopped once he was foot away and leaned on a near by chair, his lips curled up into a smirk. "You think I'm gullible." he giggled. "You're obviously hiding something and I am rather interested to find out~" he ran a cool finger along my jaw bone as I glared at him.

"I'm not hiding anything."

"But how do I know you're not lying to me? It is something you would do."

"I'm not lying." I said with a serious tone. He raised an eyebrow at me. I let out a small, reassuring laugh. "Dude, I'm seriously not lying. I know what you'd do if you found out otherwise and I'm not going to take that chance. I need to keep my awesome face in tact." He seemed to relax at that and leaned further on the chair, staring at me. "What do you want?" I chided, in the midst of stuffing my face.

"Oh nothing~" he giggled, leaning closer every second. His warm breath tickling my skin. I crinkled my nose as the smell of vodka laced itself through my senses, he face only mere inches away from my own. He placed a firm hand on my cheek before filling the space between us. A shiver ran down my spine as our lips connected in a soft kiss. ___You're not liking this._ I told myself as my lips burned. Despite what my mind was screaming, I couldn't force myself to push him off. It was almost as if my body was entranced. I laced my arms around his neck and pulled him closer to deepen the kiss. ___Stop liking this!_ My mind was whirling and my body began to heat up. Ivan moved his leg up and placed it between my own, softly rubbing my manhood through my pants. A small moan escaped my throat and he took the opportunity to shove his tongue into my mouth and explore every crevice he had access to. ___You're not allowed to like this!_

He traced his nimble fingers down my side, resting on my lower back as he pushed himself further on the chair. As we separated from the kiss, he quickly moved to sucking and nipping my neck.

"Ivan.." I breathed, stopping myself from letting out another embarrassing moan. He hummed in response. " Ivan.. stop." I grunted, pushing lightly on his shoulders. When he continued with his ministrations I shoved harder. "I said 'stop'!" He looked up at me innocently.

"But why? You were obviously enjoying it." His gaze trailed down to the slight bulge in my pants causing me to flush in embarrassment. His fingers lightly running up and down the sensitive area.

"I-Ivan, stop!" Despite the sensation, I managed to grab his wrist. He looked at me with annoyance hinted in his features. He pulled himself off of the chair and stood up straight.

"But what is wrong, belyĭ krolik? Don't you want this?"

"No, I don't!" I yelled as I stood up as well, my fists clenching at my sides.

"Why not?" He furrowed his eyebrows.

"Well for starters, you're a freak and secondly, I'm. Not. Gay!" I narrowed my eyes as the man across from me started giggling. "What the fuck is so funny?"

"Oh Gilbert, it doesn't matter if you are 'gay' or not. That's just a silly term used to subjugate people into social groups." he mused. "In time, you will come to love me like the others."

"The others? What the fuck am I, your stupid boy toy?" ___Okay, this guy seriously pisses me off! No way in hell am I going to go along with whatever he wants just because he told me to. I'm the awesome Gilbert, I don't take orders from anybody, and that's not going to change for some sociopath like him._

"Of course not, that would be silly." he giggled, taking a step forward. "I am not a 'whore', you know. I just love people. I express my love in many different ways."

"And being a disgusting creep is one of them, I assume." I scoffed, crossing my arms across my chest. He shook his head slightly before taking another step closer.

"You misunderstand, krolik. I do not mistreat my pets, I love them very much so." Another stupid giggle. "Would you like me to show you?"

"Ha, like I would do ___that_ with ___you_."

"It'll only be so long until you'll be screaming my name~" he mused. I raised my eyebrow in amusement. "You'll be such a loud screamer, I can already tell. You'll love me railing you into the mattress with your arms are tied to the headboard. You'll be squirming, panting, moaning. Maybe I'll even use my toys~" he took one last step towards me, his face now just inches away from my flushed one. He leaned in and slowly licked the shell of my ear. "Would you like that, Gilbert?" he whispered huskily. He traced his fingers around my re-hardened manhood with amusement. "It seems you would~ How about we head to my room, hm?" Before I had a time to react, he laced his fingers with mine and led me towards the front door. He slowly opened it and peered down the hall to make sure the coast was clear. Once deciding it was fine, he turned me around and tied my hands behind my back just for 'safe measures'.

He took cautious steps into the corridor and pulled me along with him.

"Where are you going, sir?" a voice asked from behind us. Ivan hastily turned around and narrowed his eyes.

"I am taking him back to the cellar." he said firmly. "Is that an issue, Eduard?"

"No sir. I'll gladly escort him back, myself." He coughed, straightening his silver-rimmed glasses.

"That is not necessary, I can handle it. Thank you." Eduard paled and nodded, quickly turning around and continued down the hall. After he was out of sigh, Ivan pulled me along again.

When we were nearing his room, footsteps sounded throughout the otherwise desolate corridor. Ivan pushed me into a nearby room (after he made sure it was clear) and waited outside the door.

"Big brother, there you are!"

"What would you like, Natalia? I am rather busy at the moment." ___Wait... is he talking to his boobilicious sister?I thought she was older, not younger.. _I opened the wooden door a crack and peaked through to see a rather uncomfortable-looking Ivan talking with a young girl dressed in a black dress with gold accenting across the bodice and a gold ribbon placed delicately on the top of her head. ___That's definitely not the same sister. But might I say.. she's rather fine. What is with Ivan and having hot sisters? _I blinked and took a closer look. ___This girl doesn't look any older than 19! Why the fuck is she in a mafia?_

"Why would you invite a prisoner to dinner?" She huffed and crossed her arms. "You will dine with him but you will not marry me?"

"Please Natalia, not now." Natalia grabbed Ivan's arm and dug her nails into it. ___Okay, this chick is officially creepy.. Maybe she is related to Ivan after all.. _"Natalia, let go of me.."

"Why won't you marry me? You'll spend time with that... that filth but not with your little sister?!" With a shaky sigh, Ivan pulled his arm from his sister.

"Nat, please go back to your room."

"I demand answers!" she pouted.

"I'll answer your questions later, but right now I am very busy." he gave her a soft smile and she relaxed a little, yet her glare not faltering in the slightest.

"Fine, I'll leave you be for now – but come tonight, I demand to know." she huffed and walked down the hall. Instantly I saw Ivan's shoulders slump forward in a loud sigh. He buried his face in his hands and slowly started shaking his head. After a few moments, he opened the door and ushered me out.

"What the hell just happened?" I asked.

"Well, that was my little sister.. She loves me a little.. too much." he replied tiredly.

Just a few seconds later, Ivan shoved me inside another room, this time he followed and locked the door behind him. Once he was finished, he roughly pinned me against the wall and licked up my neck, his hot breath dancing across my skin.

"Ivan.. untie me." he stopped his ministrations and smirked against my neck.

"But what's the fun of that?" he enquired before slamming his lips on my own in a fiery kiss, our teeth clinking together every now and again as our tongues mingled. He pulled back, a small trail of saliva connecting our mouths. He picked me up and threw me on the bed, quickly climbing on top of me, his weight causing me to yell. He leaned down and licked my ear. "Ah yes, that is the spirit. You can yell and scream all you'd like and no one will hear you." he whispered huskily.

I paled. ___This is gonna' be a long night.._

* * *

___**Translations: **_

___**Russian:**_

___**Belyĭ krolik - white rabbit**_

___**Krolik - bunny/rabbit**_


	6. Chapter 5

**This chapter contains my first time trying to write smut, so.. that kind of explains itself. **

* * *

"N-ngh!" I grunted as my back arched, pressing my chest flush against Ivan's. His hands were running down my sides tantalizingly slow, making sure to leave rough pinches every now and again while his mouth violently attacked the sensitive skin on my neck.

Our shirts had long been cast aside in a mess of sloppy kisses and groping. My hands were bound to the head board by his scarf, leaving my feet free. Beside us was a conveniently placed riding crop that made my body twinge with excitement at the thought of using it.

Slowly licking his way up to my jaw, he chuckled huskily before whispering, his Russian accent laced with pure lust. "Do you like this, lyubitʹ?" I let out a small gasp as my back arched again from his rough fingers grazing my lower abdomen. A tingling sensation shot straight to my crotch as his hand slipped under the waist of my slacks, trailing ever-so-slowly towards my now-throbbing member. His fingers ghosted over the sensitive area before giving it a hard squeeze, a cry of pleasure-pain escaping my throat.

Moving down slightly, he gave my left nipple a small lick before biting and sucking on it. I shut my eyes tightly as another series of moans filled the air. He began to gently kiss down my chest, stopping right above my pant line whilst still roughly teasing my erection. His fingers curled around my shaft, pumping twice before stopping at the head, his thumb digging into the slit and spreading the small build up of pre-cum over the skin.

Pulling fiercely on my restraints, I groaned loudly as he expertly removed my pants in one swift movement, his other hand never losing momentum. Slowly, he licked down my happy trail before pulling down my boxers down with his teeth, exposing my pulsing shaft to the brisk air. A mischievous smirk took form as his lips ghosted over my erection, his hot breath sending a jolt of pleasure down my spine. Removing his hand from my member, he lowered his face and licked my cock from base to tip. He gave the head a soft kiss before taking it into his mouth, his tongue lapping the slit repeatedly. I inhaled sharply as he lowered his head, taking more of it in. Moving his head up, he swirled his tongue around my member, sucking lightly.

"Fuck..." I cursed as a low moan pushed past my lips. _Why the fuck are you enjoying this? Not only has he kidnapped you, he's also tried to skin you alive. Not to mention that the awesome Gilbert is not some cock sucking faggot! So why am I allowing this to happen?! Why does this feel so good?_

Ivan's fingers drummed softly against my lips as his tongue stroked my length. After a few seconds of just staring at him, he moved his hand away and sat up.

"You're supposed to suck on them, lyubitʹ." he chuckled quietly, slowly moving up on my body until his face was mere inches away from my own. He began to gently rub his clothed erection against my exposed one, the beautiful friction becoming overwhelming. "Don't tell me... you're a virgin?" he mused, a large smirk on his face. I felt my face begin to heat up as I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Of course not! I've had sex with plenty of women. They can't resist me~" I smirked in return.

"But you're still an anal virgin." he chirped.

"No shit, dickhead. Unlike you, I don't participate in homosexual activities."

"Really, Gilbert? You are right now, and –" he chuckled as he brought a hand down to fondle my balls. I bit back a moan and pulled lightly on my restraints. "– it seems like you're really enjoying this~"

"F-fuck you."

"Nyet, I'd rather fuck you~" he whispered huskily, licking his lips before passionately kissing me, our tongues mingling in a battle for dominance. Pulling away, Ivan shoved three fingers in my mouth with a smirk. "Suck."

Complying, I lavished the digits with saliva, my tongue running over every area it could reach. Removing his fingers, he chuckled lustrously.

"You're quite good with your tongue~" He mused, spreading my legs apart and shoving one finger into my entrance without warning. I threw my head back with a loud groan at the sudden intrusion, a shot of pain going up my spine as he began to move immediately. After a few pumps, the pain began to subside and he added another finger, scissoring them as he viciously stretched me out. Crying out with pleasure, I bucked my hips, trying to take in more. "You're so impatient." he chuckled quietly as he added a third finger. Those long digits wormed around as if they were looking for something. Pleasure coursed through my body as my vision blurred. It was such an amazing feeling.

"Ngh, there-! Right there!" I moaned loudly as I semi-closed my eyes. With a smirk, Ivan pressed his fingers into that sensitive spot and latched onto my neck. His teeth grazed the skin before nipping and sucking roughly.

Removing his fingers, he shifted to undo his belt. As he slid off his slacks, I took noticed of the abnormally _large_ tent in his boxers. Swallowing thickly, my eyes widened as he took off the restraining cloth. He was fuckin' huge!

"Admiring it, are we~?" His stupid smirk grew larger as he reached into the nightstand beside us, pulling out a small bottle of lubricant.

"There is no fuckin' way that's gonna fit." I tried to say calmly. My mind was whirring as I pulled on my bounds. Even if he did manage to make it fit, it was certainly going to hurt like a goddamn bitch!

"It will fit." He stated simply as he slicked his shaft. "You just have to relax." Placing his hands firmly on my hips, he flipped me onto my stomach, raising my ass in the air as he positioned himself at my entrance. Burying my face into the sheets, I clenched my jaw as he slowly slid into me. Pain shot up my spine as his girth plunged in deeper, violently stretching out my hole. Leaning over, he bit my shoulder blade before whispering, "Relax."

Taking a deep breath, I grunted as he pushed all the way in. Giving me no time to get used to the intrusion, he began to thrust his hips. A burning pain coursed through my body as his large member stretched my insides. Groaning, I buried my face in the sheets and rolls my hips, grinding against him with every thrust. Hastening his pace, he rammed into me forcefully, knocking me into the headboard repeatedly. Without warning, I felt a stinging in my right thigh. I balled my hands into fists, my nails digging into my palms.

"Ngh – ahhh, Ivan~" I moaned loudly, my cheeks flushing with embarrassment from my outburst.

"That's right, lyubitʹ, say my name~" he whispered huskily in my ear, licking the shell sensually. With that, his trusts became for forceful and the whips from the riding crop came frequently. His other hand was holding onto my hip in a bone-crushing grip. My stomach clenched and my eyes began to blur as I curled my toes in pleasure. I felt a warm liquid swarm in my palms as I dug my nails further into the flesh. My mind raced as pleasure took over my body.

"Ahh Ivan –!" I screamed loudly, closing my eyes as my head thrashed back. With every whip of the riding crop, another moan filled the air. My mouth hung ajar as I panted heavily, unable to catch my breath. It was all so overwhelming.

The knot in my stomach twisted and tightened. I could feel myself quickly reaching my climax.

"Ngh – Ivan! I'm going to – ngh – cum!" I moaned, resting my head on the sheets. Putting down the riding crop, Ivan's free hand slowly trailed up my thigh, his nails dragging over every mark, drawing blood from the welts. Moving around to the front, he gripped my member and began pumping vigorously. "F-fuck.." I panted, my face heating up as I presses my chest into the cool sheets. "I-Ivan!" I cried out as my orgasm hit, my vision blurred, and all I could see was white stars. Closing my eyes, I moaned as Ivan's pace hastened, his thrusts becoming more and more violent. With a grunt, he reached his climax, filling me with his seed. He continued thrusting as he rode out the euphoria. Kissing the crown tattoo on my right shoulder blade, he pulled out and laid down beside me. "Aren't you worried that someone heard us..?" I asked whilst catching my breath.

"Nyet." he replied nonchalantly as he undid my binds. "My room is completely sound-proof." Wrapping his arms around my waist, he pulled me close, resting his head on mine. _Why would he need a sound-proof room?_ I wondered, inhaling deeply. My nose was filled with the scent of sweat and cum, with a faint distinction of vodka and cigarettes. _What I'd do for a fag right now._ Sighing, I rested my head on his chest, letting my mind wander. _Is his room sound-proof... so that they don't hear him having sex? _My chest tightened at the thought. _I know he said he's had sex before, and so have I... so why does the thought of him fucking someone else bother me so much? This can't be jealousy, right? That would imply that I love that sycophantic sociopath, and no way in Hell does the awesome me love him. That's absurd. Right...?_

Ivan's heavy breathing broke me out of my thoughts. My lips twitched into a small smile as I acknowledged his possessive grip on me. Chuckling quietly, I closed my eyes and succumbed to the inevitable sleep that was threatening to take over.

:::O:::

"_Ludwig, I'm home!" Gilbert called from the doorway, a bag of groceries in one hand and a set of keys in the other. Stuffing the keys in his pocket, he shut the door with his foot and started to remove the scarf from around his neck. Heavy footsteps sounded down the hallway as the blonde German man made an appearance in the doorway across the living room._

"_Welcome home, Gilbert." he said, a small smile evident on his lips. "Did you find everything you were looking for?"_

"_For the most part. Though, the liquor store didn't have the right brand of beer in stock so I had to go for a different kind." the albino 'tsk'ed in slight annoyance as he slipped off his boots._

"_Well, I'm going to start dinner soon and there is cake for dessert."_

"_Ah, Luddy. I don't know where I'd be without you~!" Gilbert swooned as he walked into the kitchen, setting the grocery bag down on the island._

"_You'd probably be dead." Ludwig remarked with a slight smirk tugging at his lips. Running his hand through his hair, he began to remove the contents from the brown paper bag._

"_Kesesese, I'm too awesome to die, little bro." the other chuckled, rubbing the former's head causing the hair to go astray. "But you are useful. I'd be living off of microwavable dinners if I didn't have you cooking for me." _

_A loud crash sounded from down the hall, startling both brothers. Hesitantly, Gilbert began to make his way towards the sound, careful not to make any noise. Furrowing his eyebrows, he looked behind him to see Ludwig following close by._

"_Gilbert –!" the latter called out as he lunged forward. Said man felt himself being tugged forward by a mysterious person._

"_Hey, let go of me –!" he spat as he squirmed about in the man's grip. Another man, dressed in a black suit, came out from the hallway and grabbed a hold of Ludwig. The man holding onto Gilbert began to drag him towards the door, keeping a firm grip on both of his arms. "Ludwig!" the albino cried as he watched his brother try to fend off the attacker. The man pulled out a gun from his suit jacket and pointed it towards the German. The sound of a gun shot rang through the air as Gilbert stared in horror. "Ludwig!" he cried loudly, watching the body of his brother slump to the ground, blood gushing from the head wound. His vision began to blur as tears filled his eyes. Adrenaline kicked in and his struggling increased. Just as he was about to break free, he felt a sharp pain in his head. His mind was hazy and his body went limp. "Ludwig..." he whispered before tumbling to the floor, succumbing to unconsciousness._

:::O:::

"_Gilbert."_ A voice called in the distance – no, it seemed close. _"Gilbert."_ It called again. I could feel my body shaking, almost like a set of tremors. The blackness began to fade as I squinted opened my eyes, placing my hand on my head to ward off the impending headache. Instead, my hand touched something else – someone else. Blinking my eyes, I tried to turn my body only to be stuck in position. They were holding me rather protectively against themselves and we both appeared to be naked. "What...?" I mumbled, trying to blink away the haziness.

"Oh Gilbert, you're awake. You began to shake violently and I feared you were having a nightmare." I recognized the voice instantly – I was in Ivan's embrace. Releasing me enough to look me in the eyes, Ivan frowned at me. "And you kept calling out a name. Tell me, who is 'Ludwig'?"

"No one!" I spat almost instantly, pulling away from the Russian. His frown deepened.

"Now, now, Gilbert. You really should tell me who this 'Ludwig' is, as you've mentioned him before. It'd only be fair." He said with a rather childish pout.

"It's none of you business!" His expression darkened.

"Is he your boyfriend?" he said rather gravely, taking me off guard.

"He's not my boyfriend! I've already told you, I don't exactly swing that way." I crossed my arms.

"Gilbert." he said in an almost-whisper. "Who is he?"

"Why do you even fuckin' care, you psychopath? Are you going to kidnap him, too?" I narrowed my eyes at him. He did the same.

"Is that what you think I'd do? You don't think it could be because I'm curious or feel at all threatened? By what I've seen, you appear to have a really strong connection with him. Am I not allowed to know who I'm competing with?"

"What?! First of all, there is no competition. I don't love you, and he's not my boyfriend! Second, of course that's what I think you'd do! You kidnapped me, so how do I know you won't kidnap him, too, if I told you who he was?" I all but yelled as I stood up from my spot on the bed. Collecting my clothing, I angrily put them on as Ivan followed suit. Walking towards me, he grabbed my chin and pulled me into a rough kiss. Widening my eyes, I pounded on his chest in anger.

Pulling away, Ivan whispered, "If he is not a threat like you say, then I promise I won't hurt him." While his offer seemed sincere, there was something about what he said that made me feel like he was lying.

"It's really not important." I grumbled and pushed him away.

"If that were true, you wouldn't be making such a big deal about it, now would you?" he countered, looking at me with sad eyes. "Please, Gilbert. I want you to feel like you can trust me."

"But I can't!" I cried out in aggravation. "Nothing you've done has showed me that I can trust you!"

With a sigh, Ivan looked defeated. "Alright, Gilbert. I won't push. You can tell me when you're ready, da?" he said with a small smile.

_He really gave up like that? No tantrum? No broken objects? No injuries?_ I looked at him in slight disbelief. _Maybe he was being honest about not hurting Luddy. No, I'm not going to fall for it._

"We should probably return you to your room before the others notice you're missing." He said almost sadly as he adjusted his blue satin tie. My chest tightened at the thought. I didn't want to go back to that hell hole! Not like I wanted to stay with Ivan, but it's better than being in a musty old cell, right?

"Hey Ivan?" I started, trying to stall. Rather than answering, he gave me a small grunt. "Why're your sisters in the mafia?"

"Why shouldn't they be? It's a family business, after all." Ivan replied, his attention on the smooth fabric in his fingers.

"'Cause they're chicks." I retorted with a snort. "Chicks aren't good at fighting and shit." Ivan snorted himself, looking at me through the corner of his eyes.

"That's where you're sadly mistaken, lyubitʹ. You haven't formally met my sisters – and I'd like to keep it that way – so you're obviously not aware of what they're capable of." He began. He studied my face for a moment before continuing. "You see, my older sister, Katyusha, is not particularly fond of fighting or hurting others, but that does not mean she is weak. Her main role is a tracker. She's to keep track of not only the mafias in our vendetta, but also possible victims and/or rats. While she's doing that, she is to know where the police are at all times – if they are on our case and how far they have gotten. She is quite amazing at it. Even though her main job is as the tracker, she is also quite skillful at hand-to-hand combat, though she only uses it in emergencies. As for Natalia, she's our interrogator and an incredible one at that. She can get any form of information out of anyone. If they are being stubborn and refuse to speak, she has her way with them... and she can get extremely creative with her torture methods. Her most brutal one involved pouring acid on the captive and peeling his skin away one layer at a time." Ivan finished, sounding rather proud. Meanwhile, I felt as though I was going to vomit.

"'Kay, maybe they're not completely useless..." I muttered. He let out a small chuckle before flashing me as satisfied smirk.

"Now enough stalling, Gilbert. We really do have to get you back." A small pang filled my chest as I thought of sitting alone in that disgusting torture chamber with the blood of Natalia's victims. Even being with Ivan would be better than that – but that definitely does not mean that I like him, or even enjoy his company. Got it?

Good.

* * *

_**Translations:**_

_**Russian:**_

_**lyubitʹ – love**_


	7. Chapter 6 Part 1

"Come on, the coast is clear." Ivan whispered, waving me over with his hand as he looked out the door.

"I don't get why we have to be secretive. Just pretend you're taking me somewhere or some shit." I stated, rather irritated.

"I wish it were that easy." he sneered. "but unfortunately, we're both in the same clothes as the night before and you're covered in love bites. It would stir up unneeded suspicion and cause my little sister to go awry. I do not want you to be the receiver of her rage. For a small girl, she is very malicious. Now come, любить."

Narrowing my eyes, I placed my hand over one of the many hickeys on my neck and followed behind him. "Hm, I wonder who's fault _that'd_ be." I spat sarcastically. Ivan turned to face me, a seductive smirk playing at his lips.

"Oh, but you didn't seem to have any objections~" he mused, taking a step towards me before leaning forward and nipping my bottom lip. Tracing his index finger down my jaw, he closed the distance between us, his mouth molding to mine perfectly. Instinctively, I wrapped my arms around his neck to deepen the kiss. Moments later, Ivan pulled away, a look of sadness barely evident on his face.

"As much as I'd love to kiss you senselessly and take you right here, we cannot. We need to get you back to your room before anyone notices your absence, which I assure you will be soon." Kissing my cheek, he grabbed my hand and silently led me down the empty corridor. The sound of our shoes reverberated off the walls, seeming much louder than they should.

In the distance, we could hear footsteps and the sound of voices. It appeared to be getting closer to us. Hastily, Ivan yanked me down a different hall, scanning the area for security cameras, and hid behind the corner.

"_What do you think the boss is planning to do with this guy? Surely there was a reason behind inviting him to dinner, but I just can't figure it out."_ One of the voices said – it was definitely male, with some form of Baltic accent.

"_Like, I don't know, but it's totally confusing. This guy has like, been in the cell for weeks. If Boss was planning on killing him, he like, totally would have or something. Do you think he knows like, vital information about the Vargas' and Boss just like, wants the deets?"_ The other said – it sounded like a guy, but what the fuck was with that speech pattern? It was probably a girl on pot or something.

I felt the grip on my hand tighten as the two walked away. Looking over, Ivan was glaring down at the ground, gritting his teeth.

"Они хотят отнять у меня счастье. Мое ощущение безопасности и тепла. Мой подсолнечника..." he whispered to the ground, his facial expression hard.

"Ivan." I muttered, tugging on his hand. His head snapped up as he stared at me. "We can't just stand here, we have to go." He frowned slightly and nodded.

"Da..." he whispered. He hesitantly pulled me into a tight hug. "Пожалуйста, не оставляйте меня. Я тебя люблю." furrowing my eyebrows, I shoved him off.

"Ja, ja, whatever. Let's just go." I grumbled and pulled on his hand, motioning him forward. Snapping back to reality, Ivan took over and began leading us back down the hallway towards Hell.

:::O:::

Opening the large iron door, Ivan escorted me back into the musty room. The smell of sweet and blood hit me like a brick wall, tears prickling at my eyes from the stench. Stepping further in the room, I crinkled my nose and looked around. _Oh look, my blood is still caked on that damn chair. And who could forget the huge puddle of dried blood in the corner over there? How comforting._ I sneered.

"Gilbert?" Ivan's voice sounded from behind me. It seemed quieter – less stern and business man-like.

"What?" I asked, my gaze set upon the rusty chair nailed to the floor in the middle of the room, the table with torture devices seated in front of it. The memory of sitting in the stupid thing was almost unbearable.

"I want to know more about you."

"What?" I repeated, turning around to glare at him, a look of disbelief on my face. "After all this time, you finally want to get to know me? It's a little too late for that. Why would I want to tell you anything? You're probably just going to use it against me. That's why you asked me to dinner! You wanted to close to me so that you could hurt me in more ways than one! You sick, twisted fuck-!" I spat and lunged towards him.

"You've misunderstood." He said in his stupid wannabe suave voice with that stupid fucking Russian accent that is completely unsexy just like him.

"Misunderstood, my ass! Du dummes Stück Scheiße!" I yelled, my fist shooting up and connecting my his jaw. Looking down at me, Ivan narrowed his eyes and pushed me down on the ground, pinning my hands above my head with his own as he straddled my waist.

"Gilbert, любить, you've misunderstood. I did not want to use force, but you've left me with no choice." growling, I struggled against his grip, only to have him slap me with his free hand. "Don't listen to what the others say. I've already told you that my intentions are true. Da, at first I was going to kill you, but that was before. All I want is to hold you close. I don't want to hurt you, Gilbert." He whispered the last part, his face filled with sorrow. "I just want a chance to get to know the real you. I want to put this whole thing aside and know you for you." My glare not faltering, I bore holes into his stupid face as I contemplated whether to believe him or not. His grip on my hands began to loosen as he desperately stared at me, eyes pleading me to believe him.

With a sigh, I turned my head towards the wall, my mind whirling around in my head. My head began to pulsate – it felt like my skull was going to burst. There was something about his body language that comforted me – that begged me to understand and come to terms with him, but my mind was telling me not to.

_He had tried to kill me, for fuck's sake!_

_'He also tried to save you.' _my conscience countered matter-of-factly.

_Well, he also refuses to let me go._

_'He's trying to protect you. If he let's you go, not only will he be killed, but you will, too. He loves you.'_

_No he doesn't, shut up!_

_'If he didn't love you, he wouldn't have gone through all that trouble to stop you from dying. He wouldn't have invited you to dinner and he certainly wouldn't have had sex with you. You would be dead already. He put his life on the line for you.'_

_That's what you think! The walls in his room were insulated and soundproof. Why would he need soundproof walls unless he constantly brought back fucking partners? He wouldn't have torn into my awesome flesh like a savaged animal, and he certainly wouldn't have kept me cooped up in that fucking cell for weeks without even so much as visiting. He's lying to me. He's lying to me like the sick mother fucker he is! _Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath. I knew I was right, so... why did I feel so wrong? How unawesome.

"Fine, say you really _do_ want to get to know me for reasons besides blackmail..." I grumbled. The body on top of me shifted. I turned my head to see him sitting up straighter, a look of bewilderment on his face. Slowly his shock turned into a small, calm smile. "What do you want to know?" I finished with a long breath.

"I want to know everything." he spat out hastily. "Whatever you tell me, I'll tell you, as well." sliding off of me, he stood up and offered me his hand. "... to be fair." Ignoring his hand, I stood up and brushed myself off. Retracting the appendage, he cleared his throat. "Thank you... Gilbert." he whispered.

::: O :::

"My family?"

"Da, you know about my family – of course I shall elaborate further if you'd like – so it would only be fair to have you tell me about your own." he stated simply. To be completely honest, I was still extremely sceptical of his true motive behind this, but I was somehow tricked into complying by the look in his eyes. He looked like a fuckin' kicked puppy! Contemplating for a moment, I sighed and ran a hand through my hair.

"I don't like talking about my family, y'know?"

"Why is that?" Ivan wondered, furrowing his eyebrows slightly.

"Just doesn't bring up good memories." His amethyst eyes seemed to have clouded over for a moment. It was the blatant look of sadness that had taken be aback. It appeared as if he was lost in thought – most likely about his own childhood. "If you really care that much..." I said firmly, knocking him back into reality. "I can tell you. I'm not going to tell you my life story but I'll tell you the extra awesome parts. For starters, I was an adorably awesome only child. My mutti is a wonderful woman and my vater served as a general in the military. That's about it."

::: O :::

_He didn't understand. For six years of his life, he was the centre of the family. His parents loved and __spoiled him with treats and gifts. Now all of the sudden, his mother was expecting another child – another _son._ It wasn't fair! Was he not good enough for them? Did they want something that he couldn't give them? _

_No words could express the betrayal he felt at that moment. His heart beat escalated as his chest constricted. He didn't want a baby brother. What if his brother was better than him? What if they felt like they didn't _need_ him anymore? What would happen to their family. Better yet.. what would happen to him? His brother wasn't even born yet, but the hatred he felt towards him at the moment was unfathomable. He hated his brother. He hated his unborn brother that was ruining his life. He wouldn't stand for it. _

_::: O :::_

_Tears streamed down his pale cheeks as his father solemnly placed a hand on his shoulder. The news had hit him like a brick wall. He was left breathless as he stared in shock at nothing in particular._

_His mother had died in labour._

_His beautiful, kind, loving mother had _died_ giving birth to that _monstrosity_. _

_He would never be able to see her gracious smile, nor hear her laugh, or have her tuck him into bed at night after telling him a bed-time story. No more would he have a mother and what did he have to show for it? That putrid, disgusting little brother. _

_::: O :::_

_Four years after the death of his mother, his father was called onto the battlefield, where he had met his demise. Gilbert was only ten years of age. He had lost the only two people he had loved and what did he have left? Ludwig. His four-year-old brother that was the cause of his misery. That little devil who had sent his life to Hell and back. _

_His parents would have wanted him to love Ludwig – of that he was certain. Even so, there was a little bit of resentment towards the child that was evident in his father's eyes. _

_By that point in his life, his tears had run dry. He felt empty. Alone. _

_::: O :::_

_After the death of his father, Gilbert took the role as care-taker into his own hands. Yes, it was true that he hated his brother, but he was a product of his parents, therefore it was his responsibility to look after the small boy. Even at his young age, he was stronger than Gilbert. He grew up without a mother and was too inept to understand that their father was not coming home. He resorted to treating Gilbert as an authority figure. He looked up to him, respected him. To Ludwig, Gilbert was his role model. He wanted to be big and strong, just like his brother. _

_Despite Gilbert caring for him, he couldn't get himself to love Ludwig. How could he? It was his fault that their mother was gone, and maybe, just maybe, if she were around, their father wouldn't have died. Everything was all Ludwig's fault. Oh how Gilbert wished he wasn't born. He wouldn't have been happier that way._

_::: O :::_

"_Gilbert?" a six-year-old Ludwig sounded from around the door frame, his icy blue eyes filled with sorrow. _

"_What?" Gilbert responded, uninterested._

"_I had a nightmare..." his voice was shaky, and even without looking at the boy, Gilbert could tell her was on the verge of tears. Sighing to himself, he turned to the boy and patted the spot beside him on the couch. Ludwig scampered across the hardwood floor and climbed onto the couch, cuddling up to the albino. Gilbert hated it. He hated him. Halfheartedly, he stoked Ludwig's heart, giving him null security. Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic._

_Oh how he despised this little boy. This little monster._

_::: O :::_

_At the age of seven, Ludwig was hit by a car. _

_To Gilbert's surprise, he found himself relieved that the boy was let off with a broken arm and fractured collar. He figured it was because Ludwig was the only family he had left and despite his hatred for the blonde, he didn't want to be left alone in this world. _

_After Ludwig was emitted from the hospital, Gilbert took it upon himself to care for him. He would feed him and read to him. He almost never left his side. He figured it was because he was desperately holding onto the last part of his parents he had left. _

_During those few months, Gilbert found himself becoming fond of his brother's company. At first he was disgusted with himself for even considering the thought of loving something as evil as Ludwig, but he soon began to get used to it. There were even days where he looked forward to seeing the boy. It sickened him, but the thought of losing Ludwig hurt him more than he could have ever imagined. _

_From that day forth, he refused to leave the boy's side. He swore that he would never let anything bad happen to him. He swore to love and protect his brother no matter the cost. Even if it meant giving up his own life. _

::: O :::

_I've failed you, Ludwig. I've broken my promise to always be by your side – to never hurt you. I'm sorry._

* * *

_**Translation:**_

_**Russian -**_

_**Они хотят отнять у меня счастье. Мое ощущение безопасности и тепла. Мой подсолнечника...**_**- They want to take away my happiness. My sense of security and warmth. My sunflower...**

_**Пожалуйста, не оставляйте меня. Я тебя люблю**_**- Please do not leave me. I love you.**

_**любить –**_** Love**

_**German - **_

_**Du dummes Stück Scheiße**_** – You stupid piece of shit**

**I use Google Translate. **


	8. Chapter 6 part 2

"So that's it?" he asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"I answered your question, what more do you want?" I snapped irritably.

"Well, you said that speaking about your family brings up bad memories... from what you've said, you had a lovely childhood, despite being a lonely child." _Shit._

"I already said I'm not telling you my life story. You asked about my family and I told you. Leave me alone about it."

"Do you want to know about my family?" he asked sadly.

"Sure, what the fuck ever." With a sigh, he spoke – his words coming out as mere whispers.

"It was just my father, sisters and I living together for the longest time. My father was always busy running the family business and when we did get to see him, he would spend the time telling us stories of his day – from who he slayed, how much money he was making, and about the vendetta. He was so sure that I would make an excellent heir to his title once he perished. Naturally, my younger sister was jealous of me, as she wanted to take over the business. Due to the fact that I was the eldest son – well, the only son – it was my duty to take on the responsibility. My older sister despised the idea of seeing me become a new evil in this world but not once did she protest. We were all sucked into this business with no means of escape."

::: O :::

_His mother had been such a kind woman. When she smiled, it was as though the world stopped and stared. She had golden hair that glistened in the sun and stunning amethyst eyes that would take anyone's breath away. What had happened?_

_By the age of 8, three years after Natalia's birth, he had started to notice a change in his mother's behaviour. No longer did she spread happiness amongst their retched family, nor did she want to associate with others. She began to isolate herself from everyone, including her family. Her skin had turned sickly pale and her beautiful eyes that were once filled with love turned dull and lifeless. She would mutter obscenities as she swayed back and forth in her rocking chair, a crochet blanket placed delicately on her lap. _

_To see his mother slowly slipping into a state of insanity was heart-wrenching. He had wondered what it was that could be eating away at her mind until it was left barren and empty. _

_It killed him inside to see his mother so miserable. He even began to wonder if it were his fault. He was determined to fix her... mend her broken soul._

_::: O :::_

_One evening, he was laying silently in his bed, tossing and turning. Everyone else in the house had been asleep, yet he was awake, a terrible feeling eating away at his gut. As he slowly shut his eyes, he was about to succumb to sleep when he heard footsteps, followed by a loud bang. He quickly sat up on his bed and crept towards his bedroom door. As quietly as he could, he opened the door and slipped into the hallway. A light shone from the half-opened door down the hallway – his parents' bedroom._

_Small feet treaded down the hall as butterflies formed in his stomach. Has something bad happened to his parents? Had someone broken into their house and assaulted them? As he got closer to the light, he felt more nauseous. He hadn't been prepared for what he encountered._

_His mother was lying on the flood, blood flowing out of the large wound on her head. Above her stood her father, a small pistol in his hand. His face was darkened, expression unreadable. He seemed to be heaving, as his breaths were uneven and choppy. _

_Ivan's eyes widened in true horror as he ran down the hallway towards the washroom. He felt absolutely sickened. _

_::: O :::_

_No one knew the truth behind the events of that night – no one except Ivan and his father. That treacherous man had somehow managed to make the killing look as if it wasn't his fault. He managed to convince the police that someone had broken into their house. Little did he know, Ivan had witnessed it. He knew the truth.. and he could never forget._

_::: O :::_

_Many years past and Ivan was faced with a new problem. He was at the age of fifteen and Natalia had just turned eleven. She was at the age where she had started noticing boys. Unfortunately, rather than noticing boys her age like a normal pre-teen, she took a fancying towards Ivan. In fact, she was completely infatuated with him to the extent of obsession._

_The odd behaviour his younger sister was directing towards him was concerning. It wasn't much longer before she began to follow him about, everywhere he went, she was sure to follow – she was always watching. Always. _

_During these times, she also spurted obscenities about their supposed marriage. More than a few times Ivan tried to tell her in a polite, brotherly manner that he was not interested and her infatuation was morally wrong, but the girl simply refused to take 'no' for an answer. Every time he would try to kindly set her straight, she would lash out at him, threatening him with various objects – taking a particular interest towards knives – and every time he would end up with another shallow wound. _

_To say the least, Ivan feared fr his life. He would lay awake at night absolutely frightened beyond recognition that Natalia would do terrible, unspeakable things to him while he slept. He desperately craved the comfort of his mother. He longed to feel her loving embrace around him, assuring him that everything would be okay._

_He spent numerous nights awake, crying himself into a coma-like state of numbness. He would wonder what he had done to deserve such terrible misfortune. He always tried to be the best he could be. He would be polite to his parents, offer to help out around the house, he would resist the urge to torment his sisters in a way only a brother could._

_What had he done to deserve this?_

_::: O :::_

_At the age of 19, his father had passed away. He had been killed in the vendetta by a rivalling Mob. Naturally, the family business was entrusted to Ivan. Holding his head up high, he wore a brave face as he took his role in stride. He refused to give into the pressures and doubts in his mind. He would take on the family business and do his father proud._

_Around this time, he began drinking to ease the stress he was faced with. Natalia had become more insufferable that normal, now that she was a 15-year-old girl. Despite his love for his little sister, Ivan could not stand her company when she was always trying to insist they "become one" and get married. _

_Though he was exceptional at holding his liquor, Ivan was redoubtably terrible company to have when he was drunk. He would go on rampages, smashing anything he could get his hands on. There were more than a few occasions that he had incapacitated one of his fellow organization members. He fondly remembered an instance where he had hurt a small, frail boy. He was storming through the halls, not able to get to his room fast enough when he bumped into a boy no older than ten. The boy instantly paled, his body trembling as he looked up at his boss. Without hesitation, Ivan had broken the boys arm, muttering how the boy was retched and disgusting._

_Seeing the boy when sober caused something inside of Ivan to snap. He didn't want to hurt anybody. He was a good boy who was always trying to make his family proud. He loved helping and seeing others smile. All he wanted was for people to be happy, surrounded by sunflowers and warmth and sunny, blue skies. He didn't want this life. He didn't. He had become something he had sworn not to._

_He was just like his father._

_He was a monster._

::: O :::

I stared at Ivan as he seemed to zone out, an unreadable expression laced within his pale features. I furrowed my eyebrows as I stared at his unmoving form, unsure if I should snap him out of it, or leave him to his thoughts. I contemplated for a moment and sighed, leaning against the wall as I ran a hand through my hair. I inhaled deeply, the smell of cigarettes creeping its way into my nostrils. I imagined myself sitting on my front step in the brisk winter air, Ludwig at my side. We would be talking about God knows what while I smoked and he read the morning newspaper.

The sound of shifting broke me from my thoughts. Opening a red eye slowly, I peered down at the man who was now clinging onto my torso as if his life depended on it. _He's shaking._ I thought to myself with yet another sigh. Hesitantly, I placed my arm around him in an attempt at comforting him. Whatever he had been thinking about must have shaken him up pretty bad.

We sat there in silence for what seemed like eternity as I absentmindedly ran my fingers through his ash blonde hair, perfectly contempt.

Without a word, the man sat up, rifling through his pockets before pulling out a lighter and a box. The sight of the box made my heart skip a beat. _Just what I need._

"You don't mind if I smoke, do you?" He asked, his voice sounding a little on edge as he placed a cigarette between his lips.

"Not if I can have one." I replied simply, Ivan responding with a raised eyebrow before handing me the pack. Removing one, I placed the stick between my lips as he lit his, smoke emitting from the fag as it caught flame. Leaning forwards, I brought mine close enough to his to catch fire, lighting itself. Ivan eyed me, looking rather perplexed. I leaned back with a shrug, taking a drag in the process. I rested my head against the concrete as I exhaled smoke, closing my eyes in serenity. I needed this.

Silence crept over the two of us as we smoked, the company of one another was seemingly good enough for both of us.

Stubbing out his cigarette, Ivan looked me over, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"Thank you for sharing with me, Gilbert. I hope we can do this again sometime, but for now I have to go. I have some business to attend to." Giving him a small, halfhearted wave, I watched as he exited the room, taking a final drag before stubbing out my own cigarette and closing my eyes.

It must have been the solitude that was getting to me, but his presence didn't seem as repulsive as it once had been. In fact, I was starting to almost crave it.

Running a hand through my hair, a small smile tugged at my lips. There was just something about his presence that was almost comforting – when he wasn't trying to kill me, that is. Placing my hand back to my side, I opened my eyes and looked at the object under my fingers. It was Ivan's package of cigarettes, his lighter not far away. Smirking, I pocketed the goods as the door swung open. Directing my attention to the doorway, a smiling Elizabeta greeted me.

"Hey, long time no see." She laughed as she closed the door behind her. "You must know why I'm here, right?"

"You're delivering the news that I'm invited to another dinner?" I mused, raising my eyebrow at her as she moved towards me with a laugh.

"No, I'm here for the details!" She squealed, sitting beside me. "I want to know everything that happened that night!" Furrowing my eyebrows, I looked away.

"Nothing happened. It was just a dinner." I said casually.

"Don't give me that. I know something more happened and you just don't want to tell me." After a moment, her eyes widened. "Oh my god, you slept with him!"

"What?" I snapped, turning to look at her. She looked as if she were about to explode.

"That is so adorable! Tell me everything! From the beginning to the glorious ending."

"Dude, I didn't sleep with him. Nothing happened."Giving me an expecting look, she nudged me with her elbow, her gaze burning holes in my soul. With a sigh, I looked away from her, running a hand through my hair. "Fine, I slept with him. Whatever." A loud squeal erupted from the girl as she smiled at me.

"C'mon, you have to elaborate!"

"What's there to elaborate on? We had dinner, he got up in my grill, I was horny and we banged. End of story."

"Did you enjoy it?" she asked, catching me off guard.

"What?"

"Did you enjoy it?" she repeated, leaning closer to me. "Was he any good?" With a scoff, I rolled my eyes.

"Why do you care?" Pausing for a second, I thought it over. "It was decent. Not good, but whatever." _Who am I kidding, it was some of the best sex I've had. Not that I'd ever admit it. Especially because it was with Ivan. _

"Oh come on, it couldn't have been that bad. I mean, Ivan is pretty hot so it's not like he's inexperienced or anything." I half choked on my spit. "What? Don't tell me... you're jealous!" She smirked, nudging me again.

"Of course not. It's just surprising that a freak show like him can get any action." It was obvious she didn't believe me, but she didn't push it. After a few moments of silence, she spoke up.

"Would you do it again?" Closing my eyes, I sighed.

"No way. It was definitely a one time thing. I'm not interested in guys."

"That's a lie and you know it." She said quickly.

"Excuse me?"

"You can't honestly say that you're 'not interested in guys'. If that were even remotely true, horny or not, you wouldn't have had sex with one. It seems you mean you have a strong case of denial, and I get it. You think it's wrong to be attracted to someone who has harmed you, but really, love sees no bounds. It's not like you can control who you end up having feelings for, so why not embrace it?"

"Well let's see... because I don't have feelings for him?" Without another word, Elizabeta stood up with a sigh, straightening out her black pencil skirt in the process. Looking at me with an unreadable expression, she turned on her heel and slipped out of the door. The hell was her problem, anyways? Why did she have to be so pushy and quick to get into everyone's business. _Wait a second... pushy, nosy, stubborn? Ugh, how could I have been so stupid? Obviously she's an information broker. She was trying to get information to report to Ivan. _Sighing, I glanced at the door through half-lidded eyes, a small smirk tugging at my lips. _Damn, she's hot._

* * *

**Gomen.**

**I apologise about all the flash backs. I just needed an excuse to write in third person. **


	9. Chapter 7

"You sent Elizabeta to pry into my business? Just when I thought you couldn't get any lower." I spat, crossing my arms over top my chest as I glared at the heavyset Russian standing before me.

"Excuse me?" He asked, his voice riddled with bewilderment.

"I can't believe you'd do that! Not only was it completely and utterly stupid, but you could have just fuckin' asked yourself. What? You too pansy to ask me how I feel?" I mumbled, moving my line of vision to the floor in front of his shoes.

"Hold on, Elizabeta came to talk to you?" Ivan asked slowly, his brows furrowing in utter confusion.

"Yeah."

"And she asked you about your feelings for me?" He spoke after a moment of silence. His eyebrow quirked up at the enquiry. That fucker was amused!

"Stop acting like you don't know what I'm talking about." I rolled my eyes.

"Actually, I have no record of her doing so. It's a surprise to me – wait, actually, it's not. She's always trying to pry into others business. It's why she makes such a terrific spy. Though I assure you, I had nothing to do with her visiting you. In fact, I had made it clear that I didn't want anyone visiting you." Ivan appeared stumped.

"You 'banned' others from seeing me?" I let out a harsh laugh as I gave him an incredulous look.

"You don't seem to understand. If another member were to visit you and find out about our little affair, they'd have your head, not to mention my own. There's too high a risk that you can be harmed, especially if you had a visit from Natalia. Besides," he paused for a moment, looking down at the ground. His voice was quiet, almost inaudible. "you're mine..." Uncomfortably, Ivan began to fumble with his dumb scarf, pulling on it slightly to loosen it. Furrowing my eyebrows, I looked towards the wall.

"I'm not nor will I ever be 'yours'." I grumbled to myself as I reached into my pocket, taking out a package of cigarettes. Pulling out a stick, I placed it between my lips as I reached for my lighter. As I leaned back against the cool cement, Ivan stared at me for a moment, mumbling something inaudible. "Hmn?" I grunted, looking at him through the corner of my eye as I lit the cigarette.

"Nothing." he assured quietly as he joined me against the wall. "I was wondering where those went." he mused, motioning towards the package in my hand.

"Well they're mine now." I said gruffly, smoke seeping out of my mouth as I spoke. He chuckled at that.

"That's fine. You seem to like them more than I do. I only smoke on occasions." Nodding silently, I took a long drag, sighing in contentment as the familiar burn of smoke filled my chest. It was comforting.

Another moment of silence crept upon us, the sound of a water pipe dripping in the distance echoed through the vacant room. Ivan appeared to be fidgeting beside me as if he were contemplating something. Turning my head towards him, I eyed him carefully as I flicked the ash off of the reefer between my fingers.

"Something you need to say?" I asked nonchalantly.

"Yes, actually.. there is." He replied quietly, sounding painfully unsure of himself. "Gilbert I..." he trailed off, making it obvious that he didn't want to look at me. After a few moments, I scoffed.

"You what?" I asked rather impatiently.

"Я люблю тебя." He said quickly, his voice a hushed whisper.

"Wanna repeat that in English?" After another moment of silence, he sighed in defeat, his eyebrows furrowing.

"I love you."

"What?" I asked, the smoke in my lungs becoming suffocating. _Did I just fuckin' hear what I think I heard? _

"I love you, Gilbert." He repeated with more confidence.

Initiate freak-out.

I stared at him incredulously as I tried to regain my breath. After everything he decides he fuckin' loves me now? _No, stop freaking out, I can use this to my advantage._ Calming my silent cry of frustration, I straightened myself, looking him dead in the eye.

"Do you now?" I asked, my voice full of spite.

"I think so, yes."

"You think." I replied calmly, looking at him with dead eyes.

"...Yes?" Fighting back a smirk, I took another drag, exhaling the smoke through my nose like a dragon.

"Yeah well, I _think_ you're kinda an asshole." His shoulders slumped. "But you're not unbearably terrible." I said with a lazy drawl. A new-found spark of hope twinkled in Ivan's amethyst eyes.

"I can work with that." He said cheerfully, looking pleased with himself. _Okay, I have to admit it. This fuckers kinda cute in the puppy sort of way. That is, if a puppy was crossbred with a fuckin' shark. _I snorted to myself as the thought crossed my mind.

"Speaking of work, don't you have boss duties to attend to or some shit?" I suggested. Ivan groaned.

"I do. Thank you for reminding me, Gilbert." He said swiftly as he stood and brushed himself off. "It was a pleasure, as always."

"The pleasure was _all mine._" I countered with sarcastic undertones. I watched in silence as Ivan took his leave. "Alone at last." I muttered to myself as I finished off my cigarette and crushed the butt against the cement floor. "Now, how can I use his confession to my advantage?"

:::O::::

I sat in silence for what seemed like forever as I pondered over all the possibilities. I was given the chance to get what I wanted, I just needed to figure out how to go about it. The only thing I could think of was that stupid saying, _if you love something, let it go, _but somehow I knew Ivan wouldn't be convinced.

"This is so stupid!" I growled loudly as ran a hand through my snow-white hair. "There's gotta be something I can do!"

My whining was cut short as the iron door scraped open, the metal groaning as it rubbed against each other. In the doorway stood who I assumed to be Ivan's sister. Not the one with the huge tits, but the psychotic one that'll peel your skin off layer by layer and spoon-feed it to you. _Great._

"Hey gorgeous, what can I do y-" the word stopped in my throat as a dagger was thrown my way, impaling itself in the wall inches away from my face.

"Shut up you disgusting excuse of a human being." she spat viciously as she closed the door behind her. "I would like to have a word with you, and I am certainly not in the mood for any nonsense." I opened my mouth, "You will not speak, just listen." I pressed my lips into a tight line as I stared up at her.

_Man, if it weren't for the fact that she's fuckin' insane, I'd totally bone her. Damn._

"If you think I'm daft enough to not realize what is going on between you and Ivan, you are sadly mistaken. I will not fall for your little charade. It's a poorly executed plan that is completely transparent, yet you seem to have the others fooled." she began, looking down her nose at me with narrowed eyes. "All my life, I have put Ivan on a pedestal. I have devoted all of my time and effort to ensuring his happiness. Yet all of that time spent was rendered useless. I thought I needed to work harder – that I wasn't doing something right. I wasn't perfect enough for him. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him. He's my beloved big brother. I worked hard to earn his praise only to be ignored. I slave away at my job to earn his approval and then you," she pauses to point a narrow finger in my direction, her eyes full of sorrow and anger. "You come along and steal him away from me! You've captured his affections without even trying!"

"Hold up, are you saying you're jealous of me, princess?" I let out a loud, sarcastic laugh. "You're fucking kidding me, right?" Standing up, I took a step towards her in defiance. She looked up at me in surprised fury as he quickly reached under her skirt.

"Stay right where you are!" She yelled, removing her hand from her skirt to reveal another knife, pointing it in my general direction. Her hand was shaking.

"I'm here against my will, darling. I had my life taken away from me and you're jealous because the person you're incestuously in love with loves me instead? Have you taken into consideration how much pain _I'm_ going through, or have you been too wrapped up with your self-loathing and misdirected anger? If you feel that fuckin' threatened by me being here – completely against my will – then why don't you, oh I don't know... _let me go?_"

She blinked in utter shock as her hand shook violently in front of me. Her mouth opened and closed a few times, as if she was unable to form words – too overtaken by conflict, anger and surprise. Taking cautious steps towards the shaking blonde, I slowly reached forward to grab the knife from her hand only to have her swing it around.

"_Don't you dare touch me!_" she screamed, her knuckles turning white as her grip around the handle tightened.

"Look, Natalia, it's Natalia, right? Whatever, look. It's simple. If you let me go, Ivan is all yours, and you won't have to worry about me eve-"

"You moronic piece of shit!" she interjected, cutting my sentence short. "You don't seem to understand the situation, do you? You can't leave and the fact that you would even suggest something of the short displays your lack of intelligence quite nicely. We can't risk you reporting us business to the police, therefore you're here until you die – which you should already! But you can't die, either because I can't do that to Ivan. As much as I hate you, I simply cannot do that." She lowered the knife slightly as her eyebrows furrowed together. She looked extremely pained.

She paused for a moment, thinking over her next words carefully as she lowered the weapon completely. She refused to look at me, instead taking an apparent interest in the floor in front of her feet. God, she looked so helpless.

"I only want what's best for my beloved big brother. Everything I do is always for his best interest, but it's all futile. I'm coming to terms with what's best for Ivan is not me. He deserves so much better. He deserves someone to be there when he needs them and for the longest time, I was positive that person was going to be me. I refused to accept otherwise. But now... now it's becoming painfully transparent that what I want is never going to be what he wants. My feelings mean nothing to him – they never have and they never will. I am now coming to accept that. I've realized my mistake and I've only been harming him by trying to force myself upon him." she drew a shaky breath as she stabilized herself, steeling her emotions as she forced herself to continue. "Ivan deserves to live a real life. He was forced into this business by our father. This is never what he wanted. He wanted to live someplace warm, with rows upon rows of sunflowers to grace him in the morning. He wanted someone to wake up to, to share his bed, to love and to hold and to cherish. He had that all taken away from him. He lost his happiness." She looked up at me with piercing tanzanite eyes. "I haven't seem him this happy since you came along, Gilbert and I simply can't take away his only source of happiness no matter how much it pains me."

I was stunned, to say the least. Here I thought she was just some psychotic motherfucker with an incest complex. Sure, that was half-right, but she had more depth than that. A lot more depth.

"Don't be fooled, Gilbert. While I will not interfere with your 'relationship', I still do not approve in the slightest. And if you do anything to hurt Ivan, anything at all," her voice went gravely low, her eyes holding murderous undertones, "I will have your head. Am I making myself clear?"

I swallowed thickly as I nodded once, "Crystal."

With a small grunt and a curt nod of her head, Natalia tucked the knife back into the holster on under her skirt and turned on her heel, quickly making her way towards the door. Reaching out for the handle, she paused for a moment before resuming the action and yanking the door open, slamming it shut behind her as she left.

My mind was reeling. I stood frozen in the middle of the room as the sound of water dripping echoed off the walls and into my ear.

_What the hell have I gotten myself into?_

* * *

**I'm sorry, this took way too long to write. **

**Wow, I suck.**

**I hope you enjoyed this character development. Hopefully the next chapter will help more with the plot. There's still a lot that needs to happen and I feel like I'm dwelling too much on one specific time period? idk. I'll figure it out. **


End file.
